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Iga Swiatek, and not Coco Gauff, is the highest-paid female athlete of 2023, as per Forbes' new annual earnings report

Forbe's new annual earnings report for the 2023 season has crowned Iga Swiatek as the highest-paid female athlete of the year, in sharp contrast with a list previously published by Sportico.

Sportico had crowned Coco Gauff as the highest-earning female athlete of 2023 earlier this month, proclaiming that she broke a 20-year monopoly held by Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka.

According to their calculations, Gauff earned $22.7 million during the calendar year, from both on and off-court earnings. Swiatek came in second in their report, amassing $21.9 million.

Forbes, though, published their earnings list for the year on Thursday, which said that it's the World No. 1, and not Gauff, who broke the Williams-Sharapova-Osaka monopoly.

Forbes' estimates see Iga Swiatek earning $23.9 million ($2 million more than Sportico report), putting her well clear of second-placed Eileen Gu. The freestyle skiier earned $22.1 million in 2023. Gauff, meanwhile, comes in at third place, bringing in $21.7 million ($1 million less than Sportico report).

Interestingly, Venus Williams made the top 10 cut in the Forbes report, coming in at No. 8 with $12.2 million annual earnings. The seven-time Grand Slam champion was missing in the list Sportico had published.

Overall, Forbes' list had 12 women representing tennis in the top 20 (nine in the top 10). The others were: Emma Raducanu (No. 4), Naomi Osaka (No. 5), Aryna Sabalenka (No. 6), Jessica Pegula (No. 7), Elena Rybakina (No. 9), Leylah Fernandez (No. 10), Zheng Qinwen (No. 15), Ons Jabeur (No. 18) and Marketa Vondrousova (No. 20).


Iga Swiatek: "When I became World No. 1, I could see how top players were treated differently"

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek

In a recent interview, Iga Swiatek opened up about her World No. 1 position and the responsibility she carries with it, saying that off the court there's a huge gulf between how top players and those on the rise are treated.

The Pole, asserted that she does her best to be a leader of the tour and point out such differences in the media, even if it makes the WTA leadership uncomfortable.

"When I became World No. 1, I could see how top players were treated differently from the players who are just rising. I would say that on the court itself, it obviously doesn't matter where they come from or what their history is, because how they play & what they achieve will depend on what they show on the court," Iga Swiatek said.
"Off the court? Well, you can actually feel the difference. ... I have raised some things in the media & criticized the WTA at times, so I realize this may be uncomfortable for them. But I also just try to be a leader who stands behind the players," she added.

Swiatek began and ended 2023 as the World No. 1, briefly losing hold of the spot to Aryna Sabalenka towards the end of the season. After surrendering it at the US Open, she reclaimed the crown at the WTA Finals, where she went undefeated to win her maiden title at the event and sixth trophy of the year.

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