Sharapova Makes Forbes List Of 20 Richest Athletes In Last Decade

Maria Sharapova

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova made the list of 20 highest-paid athletes of the last decade, Forbes Magazine has announced.

The ranking is based on the total income of athletes, including retired ones, from 2005 to 2015.

Sharapova, a Russian expatriate who lives in the United States, was the only woman on the list, and was in 18th place. Her total income for 10 years was estimated at $250 million.

First place in the ranking went to U.S. golfer Tiger Woods, who over 10 years has earned $845 million. In second place was American boxer Floyd Mayweather ($660 million) and in third place was basketball star Kobe Bryant ($475 million).

Also in the top 10 was LeBron James ($472 million), golfer Phil Mickelson ($468 million), tennis player Roger Federer ($455 million), soccer star David Beckham ($441 million), boxer Manny Pacquiao ($432 million), and soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo ($407 million) and Lionel Messi ($350 million).

Altogether, the 20 most highly paid athletes in the world over the last decade earned $7.7 billion, Forbes said on September 24.

Based on reporting by TASS and Forbes