Serena Williams’s Net Worth Is Enormous (& Her Tennis Earnings Are Only a Portion of It)

Over her long career, tennis star Serena Williams has snagged 23 Grand Slam titles (the most of any player in history), 72 titles overall and is beloved on and off the court. But while her success in tennis has definitely paid off, several other factors have contributed to the 37-year-old’s net worth, which is probably much larger than you anticipated.   

Williams is worth an estimated $225 million. (Comparatively, her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, has about $9 million to his name.) So where did it all come from?

Surprisingly, Williams’s tennis prize money only accounts for $89 million of her net worth. It’s worth noting, however, that’s $50 million more than any other professional female tennis player. The bulk of her cash flow actually comes from endorsements.

In 2004, she signed a $40 million five-year Nike deal that’s since been re-upped for undisclosed amounts. She’s also sponsored by Beats by Dre, Gatorade, Intel, Wilson, Aston Martin and more. According to Forbes, she rakes in about $18 million per year just from endorsement deals.

With so much money in the bank, it seems fitting that Williams has sought out promising investment opportunities. She and her sister and fellow pro tennis player, Venus, are stakeholders in the Miami Dolphins football team and the UFC. But that’s not all. Forbes reports that Williams has invested in 34 startups in the last five years via her company Serena Ventures, which touts a $10 million portfolio. She focuses on helping to fund companies founded by women and minorities.

Did we mention Williams also started her own self-funded direct-to-consumer clothing line, S by Serena in 2018? The line continually sells out and her friend Meghan Markle is a fan, so surely it’s doing well earnings wise.

All we can say is damn.