World No 1 Iga Swiatek cheekily suggested that she is happy that most of her money earned in 2022 came via results and not through sponsorship and endorsement deals.
This week, Forbes published its 2022 list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world.
Osaka, who appeared in a total of 11 tournaments this year and didn’t win any titles, is the highest-paid female athlete in 2022 with $51.1 million.
Serena Williams is the second highest-paid athlete with $41.3 million, while Emma Raducanu is the fourth on the list with $18.7 million.
Swiatek, who earned $9,875,525 in tournament prize money this year, is the fifth on the list with $14.9 million earned this year.
“I’m glad to see that ranking. Money isn’t my motivation but the tricky thing is I earned it really on the court & other players earned it mostly from endorsements so there’s a difference, I feel I can still expand my business a bit,” Swiatek said, per Reem Abulleil.
Swiatek (#5 on Forbes highest-paid women athletes list): Im glad to c that ranking. Money isnt my motivation but the tricky thing is I earned it really on court & other players earned it mostly from endorsements so there’s a difference, I feel I can still expand my business a bit
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) December 23, 2022
Swiatek had by far the most success on the WTA Tour in 2022
This year, Swiatek made nine finals and captured eight titles.
Between February and July, Swiatek went on a run of 37 consecutive wins.
This January, Swiatek will be aiming to win her fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
At the start of the 2022 season, Swiatek made her first Australian Open semifinal before losing to Danielle Collins.
“Making it to the semifinal of this Grand Slam (Australian Open) was extraordinary because for me, it was the first time I actually believed that I could win Grand Slams on hard courts. Before that, I thought of myself as more of a claycourt player, so the Australian Open was a big test for me and I feel like I passed it. So I took a lot of confidence from the tournament. It showed me that I’m really going in the right direction,” Swiatek told Life & Leisure.
Going into the 2023 Australian Open, Swiatek is the top favorite to win the title.