Qinwen Zheng ranks 5th on Forbes income list, may make a direct entry to Australian Open in the new season

Forbes unveiled the 2025 global female athletes earnings rankings this week. Chinese tennis player Qinwen Zheng earned $22.6 million, securing fifth place, with Eileen Gu in fourth. World No. 3 Coco Gauff topped the list for the second consecutive year. According to the WTA official site, Gauff's prize money this season is $7,969,845, indicating her off-court earnings exceed $25 million, the highest among all active female athletes.

Gauff won her second Grand Slam title at this year's French Open

Image: Visual China Group

Among the top twenty on this list, tennis players hold ten spots, including eight in the top ten, highlighting the outstanding commercial influence of women's tennis athletes. Sabalenka, Swiatek, Keys, Naomi Osaka, Rybakina, Pegula, Anisimova, and Paolini also made the top 20.

Forbes 2025 Global Female Athlete Earnings Top 20 (in USD):

1. Coco Gauff, Tennis, USA, 21 years old, $33 million (on-court $8 million + off-court $25 million)

2. Aryna Sabalenka, Tennis, Belarus, 27 years old, $30 million (on-court $15 million + off-court $15 million)

3. Iga Swiatek, Tennis, Poland, 24 years old, $25.1 million (on-court $10.1 million + off-court $15 million)

4. Eileen Gu, Freestyle Skiing, China, 22 years old, $23.1 million (on-court $0.1 million + off-court $23 million)

5. Qinwen Zheng, Tennis, China, 23 years old, $22.6 million (on-court $1.6 million + off-court $21 million)

6. Madison Keys, Tennis, USA, 30 years old, $13.4 million (on-court $4.4 million + off-court $9 million)

7. Nelly Korda, Golf, USA, 27 years old, $13 million (on-court $3 million + off-court $10 million)

8. Naomi Osaka, Tennis, Japan, 28 years old, $12.5 million (on-court $2.5 million + off-court $10 million)

9. Elena Rybakina, Tennis, Kazakhstan, 26 years old, $12.5 million (on-court $8.5 million + off-court $4 million)

10. Jessica Pegula, Tennis, USA, 31 years old, $12.3 million (on-court $5.3 million + off-court $7 million)

11. Paige Bueckers, Basketball, USA, 23 years old, $12.1 million (on-court $0.1 million + off-court $12 million)

12. Amanda Anisimova, Tennis, USA, 24 years old, $11.3 million (on-court $7.3 million + off-court $4 million)

13. Sabrina Ionescu, Basketball, USA, 28 years old, $10.5 million (on-court $0.5 million + off-court $10 million)

14. Patty Tavatanakit, Golf, Thailand, 22 years old, $10.3 million (on-court $8.3 million + off-court $2 million)

15. Rhyne Howard, Basketball, USA, 23 years old, $9.4 million (on-court $0.4 million + off-court $9 million)

16. Sabrina Ionescu, Basketball, USA, 24 years old, $9.1 million (on-court $0.1 million + off-court $9 million)

17. Jasmine Paolini, Tennis, Italy, 29 years old, $8.3 million (on-court $5.3 million + off-court $3 million)

18. Allyson Felix, Athletics, USA, 26 years old, $8.2 million (on-court $0.2 million + off-court $8 million)

19. Lindsey Vonn, Skiing, USA, 41 years old, $8.2 million (on-court $0.2 million + off-court $8 million)

20. Sarah Fuller, Rugby, USA, 29 years old, $8.1 million (on-court $0.1 million + off-court $8 million)

According to Forbes estimates, the top 20 highest-earning female athletes worldwide earned a combined $293 million (pre-tax) this year, a 13% increase from $258 million in 2024. This year, 14 female athletes earned over $10 million, surpassing last year's record of 11.

Although women's sports are rapidly growing, top female athletes' earnings still lag far behind their male counterparts. Since 2023, no woman has appeared on Forbes' global top 50 athlete earnings list. The top 20 male athletes' off-court earnings in 2025 are projected to reach $674 million, more than three times the $212 million earned off-court by female athletes.

Since announcing her surgery in July this year, Qinwen Zheng has only competed in one event, the China Open, in the second half of the season, which explains her relatively low prize money of $1.6 million. However, her off-court earnings reached $21 million (up from $15 million last year), ranking just behind Gauff ($25 million) and Gu ($23 million). Zheng first appeared on Forbes' global female athlete earnings list in 2023, ranking 15th with $7.2 million. She rose to fourth place in 2024 with $20.6 million, slipping one spot this year compared to last.

Qinwen Zheng

Image: Jianyi Li

As the lineups for major events in the 2026 Australian season are gradually announced, Qinwen Zheng's name only appears on the Australian Open entry list, with no plans to participate in warm-up tournaments. This suggests she may "drop in" directly to Melbourne, making her first appearance on court in over three months at the Australian Open. Currently ranked No. 24 globally, she is very likely to secure a seeded position there.

If Zheng competes, it will be her fifth career Australian Open main draw appearance. She reached her first Grand Slam final at the 2024 Australian Open, finishing runner-up. In her other three appearances, she exited in the round of 64, including a second-round loss last year to veteran German player Sigmund.