Serena Williams becomes only female sportsperson in this decade's 40 highest-paid athletes

Star tennis player Serena Williams is the only female athlete to be included on Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes of this decade, which was published on Monday. The rankings documented the highest-paid athletes from January 1, 2010 to present. Boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned a whopping $915 million, tops the list.

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According to Forbes, Serena Williams earned $215 million and is the only female athlete to be included in the top-40 list. Serena Williams has sponsorship deals with brands like Nike, Gatorade, and Beats. In 2019, Serena Williams was the only woman in the top 100 athlete earners, sitting at the 63rd spot. In 2018, no female athletes made it on the list.

Forbes’ annual rankings of top-earning athletes are determined by their salaries, prize money, bonuses, endorsements, appearance fees and licensing income. Some athletes who made it on Forbes’ list include Manny Pacquia (who is on the 8th spot with $435 million), LeBron James (who is on the fourth spot with $680 million) and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (who is second with $800 million).

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Top 5 highest paid athletes of the decade

1. Floyd Mayweather: $915 million

2. Cristiano Ronaldo: $800 million

3. Lionel Messi: $750 million

4. LeBron James: $680 million

5. Roger Federer: $640 million

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The past decade has seen women's sport grow tremendously but to see this list which is not only male-dominated but also heavily inflated in terms of the biggest earners, once again has made many question the pay parity between male and female athletes. Roger Federer, who is fifth on Forbes list, has earned almost triple this decade at around $640 million than Serena Williams. This inequality is further intensified when it is considered that female tennis players are actually paid better in other sports, making Williams once of the champions for the cause.

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