Maria Sharapova highest paid female athlete for 11th straight year

Maria Sharapova of Russia waves after defeating her compatriot Ekaterina Makarova in their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. AP

Maria Sharapova may already have the most recognizable faces in tennis, but she also gets the distinction as the wealthiest.

Sharapova topped the Forbes list for the highest paid female athletes for the 11th consecutive year after earning $29.2 million from June 2014 to June 2015.

The world number 2 boosted her hold of the top spot with earnings from winnings, appearances, licenses, and endorsements.

Sharapova also enjoys sponsorship from Nike, Porsche, TAG Heuer, Avon, and Evian, as well as owning her candy company Sugarpova.

Serena Williams, meanwhile, is a close second as the world number one amassed $24.6 million earnings in the past year, while Danish Caroline Wozniacki is at third with her $14.6 million payouts.

In a list dominated by female tennis stars, racer Danica Patrick placed fourth with her $13.9 million earnings.

UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey is also in the list, placing eighth with her $6.5 million earnings, followed by golfer Stacy Lewis at ninth with $6.4 million.

Other tennis stars who made the list were Ana Ivanovic (fifth, $8.3 million), Petra Kvitova (sixth, $7.7 million), Simona Halep (seventh, $6.8 million), and Agnieszka Radwanska (10th, $6.0 million). CFC