RICHEST FEMALE ATHLETS OF ALL TIME

Here, we give you the low-down on the top 10 richest women in sport:

1. Maria Sharapova
The tennis player Maria Sharapova, who at the age of just 26 has already won four grand slams, tops our list of the top 10 richest women in sport. Her fortune includes the millions she has won in prize money. Her lucrative sponsorships with Nike and Head have also contributed to her wealth; as has her own recently-launched candy line, Sugarpova.

2. Li Na
The current world number two according to the Women’s Tennis Association also comes in at our number 2. So far in her career, Li has won nine WTA singles titles, including two grand slam titles, with victories at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open. Li has been named one of the most influential people in the world in Time magazine, and has been sponsored by global companies such as Nike, Mercedes-Benz and Rolex.

3. Serena Williams
Serena Williams, another female representative from the world of tennis, is number three on the list of the top 10 richest female athletes in sport. She is the current world number one, following her success over almost the last decade; she turned pro in September, 1995. She has won the most prize money of all time among female athletes and is a tough one to beat!

4. Caroline Wozniacki
Another tennis player on our top 10 rich list is Caroline Wozniacki. The former WTA number one; and the first Scandinavian woman to reach such a high, is just 23 years old and only turned professional in 2005.

5. Danica Patrick
Taking a break from tennis, in fifth place, is Danica Patrick: auto racing driver, model and advertising spokeswoman. She started in kart racing, went on to Formula Ford and then moved up to IndyCars. Her 2008 Indy Japan 300 win was the first for a woman. Patrick has also acted; appearing in an episode of CSI:NY and voicing herself in The Simpsons.

6. Victoria Azarenka
Another tennis player on the list comes in the form of Victoria Azarenka. The Belarusian is another former world number one, and the first Belarusian to win a Grand slam singles title. She has also enjoyed success at the Olympics; winning both a bronze and gold at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

7. Kim Yu-Na
At number seven, we add another sport to the top 10 list. Kim Yu-Na is a former figure skater from South Korea, who has broken 11 world records and won numerous championships, including a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

8. Ana Ivanovic
Back to tennis at number eight, with another former number one, this time from Serbia. Since entering the professional tennis sphere, Ivanovic has defeated some of the other women who feature on this top 10 richest women in sport list, including Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki.

9. Agnieszka Radwanska
Radwanska is currently number three on the WTA list. Her greatest achievement so far has been to reach the Wimbledon 2012 final, where she lost to Serena Williams in three sets. The Polish 25-year-old is popular among fans, and was named “the most tactically sound, subtle tennis player in the world” by Tom Perrotta of The Wall Street Journal.

10. Yani Tseng
Last but by no means least is Yani Tseng, a professional golfer from Taiwan who is the youngest player, ever, male or female, to win five major championships. She was number one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings for over 100 weeks and at the age of just 25, already has 27 professional wins under her belt.