MOSCOW, August 6 (R-Sport) – Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has topped the Forbes list of highest-earning female athletes for the ninth-straight year, raking in $29 million over the last 12 months.
Sharapova earned $23 million from endorsements and $6 million in prize money from June 2012 through June 2013, the magazine announced Tuesday.
This ranking comes just over a week after Sharapova topped a list, also by Forbes, of the richest and most popular Russian celebrities.
The past 12 months have been the 26-year-old's most successful in six years as she completed the career Grand Slam with the 2012 French Open title and reached the semifinals of the US Open and the 2013 Australian Open.
In addition to continuing endorsement deals with Nike, Head, Samsung, Tag Heuer, Evian, 2013 saw her become Porsche’s brand ambassador and launch Sugarpova candy.
Sharapova has headed the list since 2004, when she burst onto the global scene as a fresh-faced 17-year-old winning Wimbledon at her second attempt.
Tennis players dominate the Forbes list of highest paid female athletes, with world No. 1 Serena Williams in second place with $20.5 million in total earnings, Chinese star Li Na in third with $18.2 million and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in fourth with $15.7 million.
Nascar racer Danica Patrick is the first competitor from a different sport to feature on the list, in fifth place at $15 million, while South Korean figure skater Kim Yuna comes sixth with $14 million.
The others in the top ten are tennis trio Caroline Wozniacki ($13.6 million), Agnieszka Radwanska ($7.4 million), and Ana Ivanovic ($7 million); with golfer Paula Creamer in tenth spot having earned $5.5 million.
