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Pay Her! Aryna Sabalenka Deserves More Endorsement Deals After 2024

Despite finishing as the WTA World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka lagged in endorsement deals.
Pat Benson|
Aryna Sabalenka ranked fifth among WTA players in endorsement deals in 2024.
Aryna Sabalenka ranked fifth among WTA players in endorsement deals in 2024. | IMAGO / VCG

Earlier this week, Sportico released its list of the highest-paid female athletes of 2024. The good news was tennis players dominated the list. The bad news was a disconnection between performance and pay.

Look no further than World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The 26-year-old dominated the 2024 WTA season, going 56-14 with four singles titles (including Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open).

Sabalenka earned just over $9.7 million in prize money and roughly $8 million in endorsement deals ($16.7 million in total). That is good money, but it doesn't match up with her body of work.

Fellow WTA players Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Qinwen Zheng, Naomi Osaka, and Emma Raducanu made more money off endorsement deals last year.

In addition to being a dominant tennis player, Sabalenka is a walking meme thanks to her Cheshire cat smile, fun personality, and aptitude for creating viral TikTok videos.

The Belarusian is also extremely risk-averse. The only time Sabalenka finds herself in any controversy is when she does not take strong stands on polarizing political issues.

Tennis fans can be combative during intense matches, but Sabalenka takes it all in stride. On more than one occasion this year, she dished it back at fans in an endearing manner. Even more importantly, Sabalenka has a small legion of loyal fans.

CEOs of major companies pride themselves in finding market inefficiencies, and somehow, there is currently an undervalued 6'0" top-ranked tennis player performing in different countries every week of the year.

Sabalenka will be in Melbourne the second week of January to defend her title at the Australian Open. Hopefully, 2025 will be the year that her star power is noticed and rewarded. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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