Aryna Sabalenka might have squandered the chance to clinch the world no. 1 ranking on the WTA Tour, but she tops the list of prize money earners in 2023 after the conclusion of Wimbledon.
With Iga Swiatek suffering a shock quarterfinal exit at the All England Club, Sabalenka had destiny in her own hands, coming within one win from dethroning the Pole at the top of the WTA standings. She reached her second Wimbledon semifinal this past week but lost to eventual runner-up Ons Jabeur in three dramatic sets.
Although Sabalenka fell short of wrestling the number one ranking away from Swiatek who has hoarded that distinction for over a year, she has the scant consolation of leading the prize money earners list in 2023 as of July 17. Sabalenka's yearly prize money earned so far is $4,940,549.
The Belarusian's semifinal run bumped her earnings by £600,000, taking her career prize money to $17,115,459, which ranks 26th in the all-time list among WTA players. Swiatek is in second place among the highest prize money earners in 2023, collecting $4,431,111, with half of that total coming from her French Open success in June.
2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina also forms part of the Big 3 on the WTA Tour in prize money leader earners. The Kazakh six-footer has earned $3,904,440, by virtue of reaching her second Grand Slam final at this year's Australian Open and winning two WTA 1000 tournaments, in Indian Wells and Rome respectively.
Rybakina is well clear of fourth-placed Jessica Pegula, who has yet to win a singles title this season but has been to two more Grand Slam quarterfinals in 2023. Remarkably, the top four in the prize money earned list contain the same names as those occupying the WTA rankings, and the only partial difference is the order of the top two in both lists.
Also to note, prize money is explicitly income generated from playing tournaments, and does not include any endorsement deals or appearance fees.
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