The WTA Tour money list has a new leader - Iga Swiatek.
The Polish tennis sensation defeated Jasmine Paolini in straight sets to secure her fourth French Open title on Saturday, pocketing a cool £2million in prize money. This sum now separates Swiatek's 2024 earnings from the total career wealth of Emma Raducanu.
Despite high expectations following her historic US Open victory in 2021, Raducanu's financial trajectory hasn't quite hit the mark. In contrast, Swiatek has been soaring as the new darling of women's tennis. The 23-year-old prodigy has claimed three consecutive titles at Roland Garros, spent over 100 weeks as world No 1 and clinched four WTA 1000 titles so far in 2024.
Swiatek's impressive prize pot for this year alone stands at around £5.3m, eclipsing most professionals' career winnings. In comparison, 21-year-old Raducanu has earned approximately £3.1m since turning pro in 2018. To further highlight Swiatek's prowess, she turned professional just two years before Raducanu.
Yet, her career earnings are nearly ten times that of her British counterpart, with a staggering £24.5m amassed from competitions alone. The 2024 tennis season is only halfway through, with Wimbledon and the US Open still on the horizon. This presents a golden opportunity for Swiatek to exceed the eight-figure mark (in pounds) this year, potentially ending with three major trophies.
Meanwhile, Raducanu would be grateful for a consistent run of fitness after missing the French Open. The British player, who was defeated by Swiatek in straight sets at the Stuttgart Open earlier this year, pulled out from qualifying at Roland Garros and has missed four of the last six Grand Slams due to a series of injuries.
The 21-year-old has typically performed much better at Wimbledon and the US Open in her budding career. However, Swiatek has demonstrated no fear at any major and has made deep runs in each of the four tournaments.
Last year, the Polish player achieved a career-best quarter-final finish at Wimbledon before being knocked out by wildcard Elina Svitolina in a significant upset. She also experienced a surprise defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open, just one year after winning the title in New York.
Swiatek has already climbed to ninth place in the WTA's all-time earners' list, and it's not unthinkable that she could ascend to second place by 2025, with only £9m separating her from current runner-up Venus Williams (£33.5m). However, she has a considerable distance to cover before she can challenge Serena Williams' staggering £74.7m fortune, which is worth more than double that of any potential rival.
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