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Since turning skilled in 1995, Serena has amassed a mind-boggling $94.6 million in prize cash, greater than twice the second title on the checklist, which occurs to be her older sister Venus, with $42.3 million.
IMAGE: Serena Williams stretches to return towards Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic throughout their third spherical match on the US Open on Friday. {Photograph}: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports activities/Reuters
Serena Williams misplaced to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic on the US Open on Friday night time, probably marking the top of arguably the game’s best Grand Slam profession, however her title as the largest earner in ladies’s tennis historical past will stay for years to come back.
Since turning skilled in 1995, Williams has amassed a mind-boggling $94.6 million in prize cash, greater than twice the second title on the checklist, which occurs to be her older sister Venus, with $42.3 million.
She is going to pocket one other $188,000 for reaching the third spherical of the yr’s last main event.
“It is arduous to overstate her success,” Victor Matheson, a sports activities economist at School of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, stated of the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
“There are few different examples of athletes in sport who’re to date past the quantity two like that.”
Put one other manner, about 25,000 ladies have gained prize cash within the historical past of the WTA and Serena Williams has earned greater than the underside 80% of these gamers mixed, he stated.
“She has far and away probably the most profession earnings amongst feminine athletes and is likely one of the only a few feminine athletes to be solidly within the top-20 cash earners amongst all athletes in a given yr.
“It’s totally uncommon in sports activities to see a feminine athlete have this kind of monetary presence,” Matheson stated.
Whereas it’s tough to quantify Williams’ monetary impression on the game as a complete, her profession has coincided with large development within the ladies’s recreation.
In 1995, the WTA handed out $35 million in whole prize cash, an quantity that reached $180 million in 2020, stated Bob Dorfman, a sports activities advertising analyst at San Francisco’s Pinnacle Promoting.
There isn’t any doubt that Williams, who together with Venus was launched to the predominately white sport at an early age by their father in Compton, California, helped herald a brand new viewers.
“It was once very nation clubby,” Dorfman stated.
“Then she got here alongside and it turned accepted in public parks and individuals who by no means considered taking part in tennis earlier than began taking part in. And much more African American gamers got here alongside.”
As Serena turns her consideration to rising her household and changing into a full-fledged enterprise mogul, it’s robust to see anybody replicating her on-court dominance anytime quickly.
“There’s no one on the horizon proper now that is going to come back near that,” Dorfman stated.
“Hopefully someone else will come alongside and dominate however no one is doing it proper now. I do not assume there’s anyone who has the drive and need to win that Serena does.”
And whereas it’s pure that the WTA can be anxious about shedding its largest star, one other tends to rise rapidly.
“How did the WTA survive Billie Jean King retiring? Effectively, Chris Evert. How did it survive that? Martina Navratilova. Then Steffi Graf after which Serena,” Matheson stated.
“It’s loopy how lengthy Serena has been the dominant title however you could possibly make the argument that her being so good has saved different nice stars from being the face of the WTA.”
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