Russian tennis ace may finish second best to Serena Williams when they battle on court or even in the world rankings, but the Russian tops Forbes' list of top earners for 11th year straight
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova may finish second best to Serena Williams when they battle on the tennis court or even in the world rankings, but the Russian is far above the American when it comes to global earnings.
Maria Sharapova. Pic/Getty Images
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According to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.com, five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova is the world's highest paid female athlete for the 11th consecutive year, with Williams in second spot.
In fact, World No 2 Sharapova and World No 1 Williams are way above the rest of the field with estimated estimated earnings of USD 29.7 million (approximately Rs 180 crore) and USD 24.6 million (Rs 156 crore approx) respectively from June 2014 through June 2015 through tournament prize money and endorsements.
The top 10 list includes seven tennis players besides one auto racer (NASCAR's Danica Patrick) and MMA fighter Ronda Rousey.
Patrick, who is on the list at No 4, after Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki (USD 14.6 million), earned USD 13.9 million, while UFC's most popular female fighter Rousey, at No 8, earned USD 6.5 million.
However, female athletes earned far less than males given no woman figures in the overall top 25 highest paid athletes list by Forbes.com.
Rs 180 crore
Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova's approximate earnings from prize money and endorsements between June 2014 and June 2015 
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