Billie Jean King reacts as Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka & other WTA stars dominate highest-paid female athletes list

Women's tennis has come a long way, as the latest highest-paid female athletes list by Sportico features Coco Gauff at the top with $31 million. Tennis legend Billie Jean King cherished this list as it featured women's tennis stars' domination over other female athletes from other sports.

Among women's tennis stars, Guaff leads the list, followed by Aryna Sabalenka (2nd, $30M), Iga Swiatek (3rd, $23.1M), Zheng Qinwen (5th, $20.6M), Madison Keys (8th, $13.4M), Elena Rybakina (9th, $12.6M), Naomi Osaka (10th, $12.5M), Amanda Anisimova (12th, $10.8M), Jessica Pegula (13th, $10.5M), and Venus Williams (14th, $10.2M).

As such, the top-15 list features 10 women's tennis stars in it, and that's what Jean King was celebrating about:

"10 of the Top 15 are tennis players. 👏"

Notably, Gauff has maintained her No. 1 rank from last year, while Sabalenka jumped three spots up from No. 5. Swiatek also maintained her No. 3 rank and Qinwen dropped a spot. Emerging American stars like Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys were the newcomers on this list. Elena Rybakina was No. 14 last year and this year she is No. 9. Since Venus Williams returned after a long hiatus, she also featured on the list.

Dissecting Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka's massive earnings

Out of Coco Gauff's $31 million, $8 million was earned through prize money from tournaments, while the remaining $23 million was from her endorsement deals. By winning the Roland Garros against Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff is now a two-time Grand Slam champion.

Off the court, she signed endorsement deals with New Balance and Miu Miu this year. Her signature collection for both brands hit the stores in September. She has also invested in Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart's 3x3 Basketball league, Unrivaled.

Meanwhile, Sabalenka leads the list in terms of prize money as she took home $15 million from tournaments this year. She reached nine tournament finals this year, winning four of them, including the US Open win. She finished the year as World No. 1 for the second straight year.

She is now preparing for her exhibition match against men's tennis star Nick Kyrgios in the Battle of Sexes, a modern-day throwback to the famous 1973 showdown between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

Off the court this year, Sabalenka earned massive bonuses from her deal with Nike, thanks to her deep run in several tournaments. She also earned from her deals with Wilson, Audemars Piguet, Whoop, Electrolit and IM8, taking her endorsement deals total to $15 million.