Serena Williams became the first athlete to make it to the list of America's richest self-made women. The 37-year-old was added to Forbes' annual list of America's Richest Self-Made Women with a fortune of USD 225 million.
The 23-time Grand Slam Champion made about USD 29 million in the last year alone. The revenue mostly came as a result of endorsement deals with Nike and JPMorgan Chase and the clothing line she launched in 2018 called S by Serena.
The Tennis star, who made it to the cover of the magazine as well, shared the news on her Instagram handle with an image and the caption, "Be the brand. Starting @Serena and @Serena. Ventures are just a few steps. Honored to be the first athlete on @Forbes #SelfMadeWomen list."
The list which has been expanded to 80 honourees, sees a plethora of celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Kylie Jenner and Rihanna. Serena, who at rank 80 rounds off the list is, however, the only representative for professional sports thanks to her reported net worth.
However, this is not the first time that the ace tennis player has been recognised. Back in 2018, Forbes named her the highest-earning female athlete in the world, the same year that saw her earning USD18 million in endorsements alone
Williams who is married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has also invested in 34 startups on the past five years via Serena Ventures firm. Her investments, which are portfolio worth about USD 10 million, are mostly focused on e-commerce, food, fashion and health.
The news comes days after Serena Williams, in a surprise upset, lost to American Sofia Kenin in the third round of the French Open. This was her earliest loss at a major tournament in five years.
