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13th Aug 2015

Forbes have released a list of the highest earning female athletes of 2015

But Serena Williams isn't number one

Alan Loughnane

We think we picked the wrong career when we see how much some of these tennis stars are earning…

Forbes have released their list of the highest paid female athletes for 2015 with all but three of the athletes hitting the green ball around the court for a living.

Maria Sharapova surprisingly tops the list earning a cool $29.7million this year, some through prize money, but mostly from endorsements.

Serena Williams comes in second on the list behind Sharapova despite winning the last four Grand Slam events.

UFC star Ronda Rousey is a new addition to the list as her popularity, and it seems, her wealth continue to skyrocket. She appeared in three big budget movies and as well as this, she pulverised the rest of the bantamweight division in the UFC.

The full list is as follows with the top ten banking a whopping $124 million between them over the last 12 months…

1. Maria Sharapova – Total earnings: $29.7 million

2014 French Open - quarterfinal

2. Serena Williams – Total earnings: $24.6 million

3. Caroline Wozniacki – Total earnings: $14.6 million

4. Danica Patrick – Total earnings: $13.9 million

5. Ana Ivanovic – Total earnings: $8.3 million

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29:  Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in action in her Ladies’s Singles first round match against Yi-Fan Xu of China during day one of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 29, 2015 in London, England.  (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

6. Petra Kvitova – Total earnings: $7.7 million

7. Simona Halep – Total earnings: $6.8 million

8. Ronda Rousey – Total earnings: $6.5 million

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 31: UFC Strawweight Champion Ronda Rousey of the United States steps onto the scale during the UFC 190 Rousey v Correia weigh-in at HSBC Arena on July 31, 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

9. Stacey Lewis – Total earnings: $6.4 million

10. Agnieszka Radwanska – Total earnings: $6 million

Hat-tip to Forbes.