Olympics has brought together a bunch of the most talented athletes in the battle for gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Most of them are common house hold names that you hear in other yearly tournaments. So it is interesting to note that some of the athletes gracing this years events have quite a full purse to their name and its bound to get fuller.
Among the top female athletes at this year’s event are also in the list of the ten most highly paid female athletes. With tennis players leading the ranks in this line up. They are as follows:-
1. Maria Sharapova
This beautiful tennis player needs no introduction. She is representing her mother country, Russia , in this year’s 2012 summer Olympics. She will be the first woman to hold the Russian Flag high in the Olympics competition.
Despite her torn rotator cuff that kept her off the tennis circuit for 15 months, she came roaring back to scoop 5 consecutive tournaments and in addition to that, she was the highest paid female athlete this year. She earned an impressive $27.1 million in the past 12 months and there is no stopping this tennis dynamo. $5.1 million was in prize money while $22 million was by sponsors, exhibitions and the like. Nike was her biggest cash- in because of her eight year contract to sell their Maria Sharapova Collection.
She will also launch her own line of candy dubbed Sugarpova by August, during the USA Open Besides all that, this athlete is stunning both on and off field with her gorgeous body.
2. Li Na
Number two on the list is China’s Li Na. She won a French Open Singles title in 2011 which was the first win by an Asian tennis player.She has signed multi- million dollar deals with Mercedes Benz, Samsung Electronics and other Chinese brands. Her status is evident in her Nike deal because she is the only tennis player allowed to wear non Nike logos.
Li lost in the first round of singles at the London 2012 Olympics, but she is still in the running for the doubles gold in the 2012 London Olympics.
3. Serena Williams
This voluptuous lady needs no introduction. Her name is synonymous with tennis and you can swear with reasonable conviction that you have her name ever since you could understand sports news. She will be hoping to gain a third Olympic gold in addition to the two she won playing tennis doubles with her sister Venus Williams. She is third in this list with over $38 million in just prize money. Which makes her the top paid female tennis player and the fourth in the list that includes men.
She has defeated Urszula Radwanska in the second round of the London 2012 Olympics and she is set to play Vera Zvonareva of Russia who was a last time Olympic bronze finalist.
4.Caroline Wozniacki
This stunning beauty is our number four ranked female athlete. She is a Denmark national and will represent her country at the 2012 London Summer Olympics. She has earned $13.7 million in prize money and appearances this year.
Her relationship with golfer Rory Mc llroy makes her a media staple. Her announcement of the underwear line she will we releasing in September caused quite the stir as people questioned her preparation for Wimbledon. But this lady has got things moving in all the right directions.
5. Danica Patricks
This strikingly hot American athlete is a force to reckon with when it comes to Auto racing. She is racing full time with NASCAR and this significantly increases her income than when she was doubling with indie car racing.
She was the most searched for athlete in 2011 according to yahoo. This stunning beauty with an affinity for the steamy side of life has also graced the pages of Play boy magazine. Who can blame her for not being shy of her steaming hot physique?
Danica had earnings of $13 million in the past year making her number five in this list. She is ranked 10th in nationwide rankings in the USA but she is still having sponsors gravitate towards her.
Blanco's Sports Grill 