Top-earning female athletes

Forbes released a list of the top-paid women in sports – including their earnings from prize money, salary, merchandising/licensing, appearance fees and endorsements – from June 2013 through June this year.

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova, who won the French Open this year, was the top earner at $24.4 million, with only $2.2 million coming from prize money.

Rounding out the top five were Chinese tennis star Li Na with $23.6 million ($18.6 million in endorsements), No.

1-ranked tennis player Serena Williams of the US with $22 million ($11 million from both prize money and endorsements), retired gold-medal ice skater Kim Yuna of South Korea with $16.3 million ($16 million from endorsements) and race-car driver Danica Patrick with $15 million ($7 million in salary and prize money, the rest from endorsements and merchandising/licensing).