Tennis — the mere mention of this sport paints a picture of elegance and royalty in the minds of sports fans around the world. And, the sport reaps great dividends for the ones who pursue it, be it in terms of fame or monetary benefits. Therefore, it is not surprising to see some tennis players rank among the richest athletes in the world.
Considering the viewership of the four Grand Slam events in a calendar year (namely the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon Open and US Open), it is safe to say that tennis enjoys one of the largest following among all major sporting disciplines in the world. And, the popularity of the sport directly reflects on the fan base of the stars associated with it. Every era in the history of tennis has seen a host of gifted individuals become the face of the sport and vie for the throne.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, there is no single king or queen in tennis. The highly competitive nature of the sport is what keeps it alive, and gives the fans several faces to root for rather than a runaway leader. These players are chased by several brands for sponsorship deals worth millions of dollars.
Interestingly, these endorsement deals continue to pay the players handsomely long after curtains are drawn on their professional careers. Therefore, the exclusion of someone like Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi or Steffi Graf from a list of the richest tennis players will surely fail to highlight the importance of the sport in terms of how it repays these players who dedicate their lives to it.
Keeping all of that in mind, we bring to you a list of the top richest tennis players in the world in 2024 according to their net worth. The curation includes both men and women tennis players.
<!–
–>
<!–
–>
Who are the richest tennis players in the world in 2024?
Jessica Pegula
Net worth: USD 6.7 billion
A sports personality’s net worth in billions is not a common sight and is likely to leave people spellbound. Such is the case with Jessica Pegula, the multi-billionaire who ranks as the richest tennis player in the world in 2024.
According to several reports, Pegula’s net worth, in 2024, stands somewhere around USD 6.7 billion. To put things in perspective, this massive figure can accommodate the combined net worths of all the other tennis stalwarts mentioned in the list.
However, Jessica Pegula has been candid about her mind-numbing net worth not entirely being hers. During the Wimbledon Open 2023, she mentioned in an interview that the net worth in question actually belonged to her parents. “I personally don’t have that money. It’s probably my dad’s or my parents’. My family obviously is pretty well-known back in America,” Pegula said.
For context, Jessica Pegula is one of the five daughters of billionaires Terry and Kim Pegula. Her father, Terry Pegula, is the founder and owner of a natural gas drilling company East Resources. The billionaire couple also owns the National Hockey League team Buffalo Sabres and the National Football League side Buffalo Bills.
Ion Tiriac
Net worth: USD 1.2 billion
Known as the Brasov Bulldozer, Ion Tiriac remains one of the richest tennis players in the world even decades after his retirement. Interestingly, the 1970 French Open men’s doubles winner was also a member of the Romanian national ice hockey team at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Even after retiring as a player, Tiriac remained invested in the sport. He acted as the President of the Romanian Tennis Federation and has been in the capacity of advisor and coach to several tennis players, including a young Boris Becker.
The yesteryear tennis legend currently heads the Tiriac Group, which has interests in real estate, automobiles and financial services. Tiriac also houses an enviable car and motorcycle collection in his garage that boasts more than 400 vehicles, including those owned by famous personalities like Al Capone and Elton John.
Roger Federer
Net worth: USD 550 million
Roger Federer might have bid a teary-eyed farewell to the sport in September 2022, but his name will forever remain etched in the history of the sport. The Swiss maestro is often referred to as the “King of Grass” by fans and experts because of his stupendous achievement in the Wimbledon Open, winning the championship a record eight times.
A report by Forbes suggests that the winner of 20 Grand Slam titles has earned USD 130 million in prize money throughout his career. The Swiss legend’s annual earnings stand close to USD 95.1 million, and it makes him one of the richest and the highest-earning tennis players in 2024.
Serena Williams
Net worth: USD 300 million
September 2022 was a tearjerker for tennis fans worldwide, for after Roger Federer, Serena Williams followed suit as she drew the curtains on her professional career. Having ruled the sport for 27 years, she is now a mother of two daughters and the most successful woman in the history of tennis. Not only among women, Williams is one of the most influential players in the history of the sport irrespective of gender.
A winner of 23 Grand Slam titles in her career, Williams has an annual income of USD 45.3 million. She remains the only tennis player to date to win a career Golden Slam (winning all four Grand Slam events in a single calendar year) in both singles and doubles events.
Novak Djokovic
Net worth: USD 240 million
In today’s world, there is hardly any sports fan who is not acquainted with the name of Novak Djokovic. The Serbian is a legend and is a member of the holy trinity of modern-day men’s tennis, alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The three titans of tennis are also the only three men in the world to have won more than 20 Grand Slams.
The current world number one in the ATP men’s singles rankings and the winner of a record 24 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic, at present, is looking to extend his record at the Australian Open to 11 singles titles. In the past, Forbes has featured him in its list of The World’s Highest Paid Athletes (in 2021). Even in 2024, Djokovic is one of the richest tennis players in the world, according to a report by Celebrity Net Worth.
Rafael Nadal
Net worth: USD 220 million
He might have been missing from action for most of 2023 and had to withdraw from the Australian Open in 2024, but Rafael Nadal ranks in the pantheon of tennis greats. The Spaniard has a total of 22 Grand Slam titles in his cabinet to date, which includes a world record 14 French Open trophies.
Reports suggest that Nadal has amassed over USD 125 million from his time on the ATP tour since 2001. The ace tennis player enjoys big-bucks endorsement deals with Nike, Santander, Heliocare, Telefonica, Tommy Hilfiger and several other multinational brands.
Maria Sharapova
Net worth: USD 180 million
A true legend of the sport, Maria Sharapova, to date, remains one of the most successful women in the world of tennis. She is the only Russian till now to have won the career Grand Slam. Her other achievements include reaching the peak of the WTA singles rankings at the young age of 18 and winning five major titles― two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open, the Wimbledon Open and the US Open.
Maria Sharapova retired from professional tennis in 2020, but that hardly failed to leave a mark on her wealth. According to reports, she is one of the richest tennis players in the world in 2024 and continues to endorse brands such as Nike and Evian.
Pete Sampras
Net worth: USD 150 million
Widely regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time, Pete Sampras is the winner of 14 Grand Slam titles, including seven Wimbledon titles (which was a record back when he retired) and a joint record five US Open titles. The former American tennis star bid farewell to the sport after winning the final match of his career against long-time rival Andre Agassi at the 2002 US Open final.
Nicknamed ‘Pistol Pete’ because of his accurate and powerful one-handed backhand, Sampras was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007. He is idolised by many in the tennis fraternity, Roger Federer being one of them. Even after two decades of his retirement, Sampras ranks among the richest tennis players in the world.
Steffi Graf
Net worth: USD 150 million
If the word ‘elegance’ can be personified, it will most likely take the form of Steffi Graf. Arguably one of the greatest legends of the sport, she has won 22 Grand Slam titles, the second-most in women’s singles since the start of the Open Era in 1968 and the third-most of all time. Graf is the first tennis player, male or female, to have achieved the Golden Slam (winning all four Grand Slam titles and the Olympic gold medal in a calendar year) when she did it in 1988. To date, she also remains the only tennis player, male or female, to have won each Grand Slam title at least four times.
A former world number one, Graf held the pole spot for a record 307 weeks. She and Margaret Court are the only players, male or female, to have won three Grand Slam titles in a calendar year five times (Graf did it in 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996). The ace tennis player got married to Andre Agassi in 2001.
Andre Agassi
Net worth: USD 145 million
Widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Andre Agassi has won eight Grand Slam titles in his career. He remains the only player to have won the career Super Slam (winning the career Grand Slam, the Olympic gold medal and the year-end championships). The American was also the first man to win all four Grand Slams (singles events) on three different surfaces (hard, clay and grass). He is also the last American male tennis player to date to have won the French Open (in 1999) and the Australian Open (in 2003).
Despite having retired from tennis for nearly two decades, Agassi is still one of the richest players in the sport in 2024. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011.
Andy Murray
Net worth: USD 100 million
Andy Murray is often considered to be one of the greatest British players in the history of tennis. He completes the hallowed quartet of the tennis world alongside Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Even though he has had a rough few years of late, Murray remains a force to be reckoned with.
The Briton was featured by Forbes in its list of The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes in 2017. A winner of three Grand Slam titles (the US Open in 2012, and the Wimbledon Open in 2013 and 2016), Murray might not be an outright favourite in the major tournaments today, but one cannot rule out the threat he poses to his opponents.
John McEnroe
Net worth: USD 100 million
Another yesteryear legend on the list, John McEnroe’s rivalries with Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors remain fabled in the sport’s history. To date, he is the only male tennis player to sit atop both the men’s singles and doubles rankings simultaneously. The American tennis legend has seven Grand Slam singles titles, nine Grand Slam men’s doubles titles and a solitary Grand Slam mixed doubles title to his name. His singles match record of 82 wins to three losses in 1984 also remains the best singles season rate in the Open Era.
Although he retired from all forms of professional tennis in 2006, McEnroe remains one of the richest male tennis players in the world. At present, he is married to rock singer Patricia Smyth.
Venus Williams
Net worth: USD 95 million
An all-time great, Venus Williams hardly needs any introduction. Her partnership with Serena Williams, her younger sister, in women’s doubles tennis is fabled. However, the former has been a successful singles player as well. She was a former world number and has won seven Grand Slam singles crowns, which includes five titles at the Wimbledon Open and two at the US Open.
Besides being a legend of the sport, Venus Williams ranks among the richest tennis players in the world in 2024. The veteran tennis player enjoys several endorsement deals with companies such as Tide, Wilson, Kraft, Electronic Arts and Ralph Lauren, among other brands. Alongside her sister, Williams also owns a minority stake in the National Football League Team Miami Dolphins.
Bjorn Borg
Net worth: USD 80 million
The latter half of the 1970s saw Bjorn Borg ruling over the world of tennis. The Swedish legend and a former world number one is the first man in the Open Era to have won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He holds the record of winning six title matches out of six appearances at the French Open and has won five consecutive Wimbledon Open titles as well. Borg’s rivalry with John McEnroe is widely considered to be one of the most remarkable adversities in tennis history.
Besides being one of the richest tennis players, the Swede also holds the record for being the first man in the history of tennis to have earned over USD one million in prize money (he achieved the feat in 1979).
Li Na
Net worth: USD 65 million
Summing up the list of the richest tennis players in the world in 2024 is Li Na, the former Chinese star of the sport. Several reports suggest that she is one of the most popular tennis players of the 21st century. Li Na holds the distinction of being the first tennis player hailing from Asia to reach a Grand Slam final (she achieved this feat at the 2011 Australian Open). The same year, she took a step further at the French Open to win the title, becoming the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam crown.
The Chinese player was a part of TIME magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2013. According to a report by CAknowledge, Li Na is one of the few tennis players who command a net worth of over USD 50 million. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2019.
<!–
–>
<!–
–>
(Main Image Credits: Roger Federer/Instagram and Novak Djokovic/Instagram; Featured Image Credits: Roger Federer/Instagram)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Who is the richest tennis player in 2024?
Jessica Pegula is the richest tennis player in 2024 with a net worth of USD 6.7 billion.