The WTA tour ended in a thriller at Cancun this season. The top eight players in the world were going head-to-head for the season-ending championship trophy. One of the biggest breakthroughs this year, Coco Gauff, set the tone in the second half of the season. In the first half, it was Iga Swiatek who dominated the tour. Both players have been on top of their earnings over the past 11 months.
Earlier, Gauff was leading the earnings this season with $22.7 million, and Swiatek had $21.9 million, as reported by Sportico. But in the Forbes report, it is reported that Swiatek earned $23.9 million while Gauff collected $21.7 million. Fans were confused, as there was a stark difference between the two reports. “LOL what’s a Sportico,” commented a fan after seeing the difference in the reports.
LOL what’s a Sportico
— I speak for everyone (with sense) (@analmylatina) December 22, 2023
All
That talk about marketability and Iga is still the highest paid female athlete 😂
(I know it’s not Maria/Serena/Naomi levels but still)— Eric (@ontologyofsumud) December 21, 2023
Iga topped Forbes list as highest paid female athlete in 2023 but watch all the tennis journos ignore the opportunity to correct their previous inaccuracies & just harp on the exho tiebreak result that occurred after a winning set + scoring error
— C | 🩵 1GA POTY🛡️ (@SoCalScreener) December 21, 2023
The Forbes report saw nine tennis players in the top 10 highest-paid female athletes this year. Swiatek topped the list, while freestyle skier Eileen Feng Gu came in second with $22.1 million. Gu is the only non-tennis player, and Gauff is the only teenager present in the top 10 list on Forbes. The youngster will hope to repeat the success she had on the court in the upcoming season.
Coco Gauff is looking forward to a good start to the 2024 season
Gauff had a groundbreaking run on tour this year. She won 51 matches and four titles, which included her first grand slam title at the US Open. With her victory at Flushing Meadows, Gauff has now won more than 10 matches at grand slams. At the Australian Open, she won seven matches, and at Wimbledon, she won eight matches. Gauff has yet to reach the quarterfinals in both of these grand slams.
World No. 3 reached the fourth round twice at Melbourne and Wimbledon. Gauff will hope to improve her record at both the slams next season. The 19-year-old lost to Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets in the fourth round of the Australian Open this year. At Wimbledon, Gauff lost to Sofia Kenin in the opening round of the grass-court major.
Coco Gauff confirms she will finish the year in the 3rd place of the WTA Rankings.
Great season. pic.twitter.com/2r7bJhgfue
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) November 4, 2023
Gauff has now lost in the opening round of all the grand slams except the French Open. Along with improving her records at the Grand Slams, she will also be targeting the top spot in the rankings. Gauff finished the season with 6580 points and was 2715 points behind Swiatek. The rankings will only get more challenging in the next 12 months of the WTA tour.