Venus Williams – Net Worth, Endorsements & Earnings

The oldest Williams sister has had a very successful tennis career, even if she is overshadowed at times by Serena. Venus, a former number one player in the world, has a total of seven Grand Slam singles titles, plus 14 Grand Slam doubles titles. Just as important, she has made a name for herself in so many different areas, leading to considerable wealth.

What is Venus Williams’ net worth? The net worth of Venus Williams hovers around $100 million at this point in her career. Not only is she second all-time with $42 million in prize money, but endorsement deals and business ventures have helped her quite a bit over the years. As she gets ready to turn 40 years old, she continues to grow as a businesswoman.

Career Prize Money Earnings

Venus Williams first came onto the scene as a professional when she was 14 years old. She played sparingly for the next couple of years, before making an appearance in Grand Slam tournaments in 1997. By the end of the summer, she was able to go all the way to the US Open final, losing to Martina Hingis. She would have to wait until 2000 to win her first Grand Slam title, and by that time, her sister was helping make this the most talented combo in tennis.

Here is a breakdown of how much Venus Williams have earned through tournament prize money each year during her career.

YearPrize Money
1997$467K
1998$1.77M
1999$2.32M
2000$2.07M
2001$2.66M
2002$2.58M
2003$1.13M
2004$1.47M
2005$1.51M
2006$283K
2007$1.88M
2008$3.75M
2009$3.13M
2010$2.61M
2011$209K
2012$607K
2013$330K
2014$1.16M
2015$2.4M
2016$1.82M
2017$5.47M
2018$845K
2019$805K

All these years on the pro scene adds up to a total of $42 million earned through tournament prize money. Which makes her the second highest earner of all time in WTA history.

Williams always excelled on faster courts throughout her career. Even though she reached the final one time at the French Open, she was both comfortable on the grass at Wimbledon, and the faster hard courts such as the US Open. She’s credited as one of the players to really introduce the power game and tennis for the women, as she is known as a powerful baseliner with solid volleys and great court coverage.

Another strong contributor to her earnings has to be credited to her work for fighting for equal prize money. She has done a lot of campaigning to make sure that the women are treated just as well as the men at major tournaments. She didn’t do it alone, but she led a charge that has opened up the opportunity for many other women to win a lot more prize money down the road.

Endorsements

Venus hasn’t done quite as well as Serena throughout her career with endorsement deals, but that’s no slight at all. She is extremely marketable, and will likely continue to land endorsement deals when she retires from the game.

Clothing Sponsors

There have been a few clothing choices over the years for Venus, including a pretty lucrative deal with Reebok when she first started. However, as she began to have more success on tour, she started pursuing another passion of hers: fashion.

That eventually led to her own clothing brand, which is known as EleVen. She wears a lot of new outfits for her unique look every single tournament. It allows her to have a little bit of freedom that not many other tennis players can say they have when they play on tour.

Her company does not make shoes, so she sticks with a shoe sponsorship deal with Nike. It makes a lot of sense, since Nike does have her sister under an endorsement deal already. The deal with Nike is not nearly the same as Serena gets for obvious reasons, but they still do pay her to endorse the shoes.

Racquet Sponsors

Both Venus and Serena Williams have been with Wilson for their entire career. Venus has used a few different racquets throughout her career, ranging from the Hammer 6.2 stretch racquet early on, all the way to the current Wilson Blade 104. You can read more about Venus racquet in this post.

Unlike a lot of other manufacturers, Wilson tries to keep the same specifications that pros use with their stock releases. Any player can get relatively close to the exact racquet that Venus Williams uses while on tour.

Other Endorsements

Since Venus has been approached by so many different companies, she can pick and choose which ones appeal to her most. There are no shortages of companies interested in doing work with her individually, or as a pairing with her sister.

The companies she has signed with in the past include Kraft, Ralph Lauren, Tide, Electronic Arts, and more. There won’t be as many opportunities for her once her playing days are over, but it really depends on how much she stays part of the culture in general.

Other Wealth Contributors

As an entrepreneur, Venus Williams has taken on a lot of different opportunities here and there. She is the CEO of an interior design firm called V Starr Interiors. Most of her work is local to the South Florida area, but it has continued to have success.

Her fashion line talked about above has been around 2007, and she continues to grow it every single year. It’s not making a ton of money, but it continues to grow as an alternative option for not only athletic clothing, but true fashion as well.

Venus and Serena are part owners of the Miami Dolphins, so they do generate some revenue from that. They became the first African-American women to obtain some type of ownership of an NFL franchise.

Finally, she continues to make residuals off of her first book, which is titled “Come To Win; On How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession.” It would not be surprising at all to see her release future books down the road, especially when her playing days are over.

Future Outlook

No one realistically looks at Venus Williams as a legitimate Grand Slam threat on tour any longer. As she approaches 40 years old, most of her play is due to love the game. It’s unclear how long she will continue to play, but she has the right to make her own decisions and not be forced out.

When she does finally called it quits, there will be ample opportunities for her in so many sectors. She can make the case as one of the most influential tennis players of all time, just simply by looking at all the different things she’s accomplished.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *