Being an Olympian seems pretty romantic. The Games often transcend sport (remember The Miracle On Ice?),听and for two weeks its athletes become the most watched people on the planet.听
But for most Olympians, the four years leading up to the games are not glitzy. The majority have day jobs听and struggle to train while also paying the bills. That鈥檚 because most Olympic sports just aren鈥檛 lucrative鈥攈ello, trampoline and canoe slalom鈥攁nd,听thanks to , participation at an elite level actually costs per year. More than half of the nation鈥檚 top ten track and听field athletes, for example, make less than $15,000 from their sport annually.听
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Yet a handful of Olympians manage to live in a glamorous bubble, thanks to success in sports听with big purses and contracts, plus big corporate sponsors. Of the 11,000 athletes from 206 countries, these 20,听from basketball to badminton players, bring in the big bucks. Unsurprisingly and unfortunately, the richest male athletes make significantly more than their female counterparts (except for Serena鈥攕he's getting paid).
Richest Women
1. 听 听 Serena Williams
Net Worth:听$150 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听USA
Serena has made double the amount of prize money than any other female athlete鈥攅ver. She鈥檚 managed to build herself into a culturally relevant brand that extends beyond the court, which is why Nike originally听听to a $40 million sponsorship deal in 2004.
2. 听 听Venus Williams
Net worth:听$75 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听USA
When Venus entered professional tennis, Clinton was in his first term, the band Ace of Base was atop the Billboard charts, and Tupac was still alive and well. Since then, the 36-year-old has won 21 Grand Slams, started her own clothing company, and inked deals with brands like Kraft and Wilson.听
3. 听 听Saina Nehwal
Net worth:听$24 Million
Sport:听Badminton
Country:听India
Called 鈥淭he Darling Daughter Of India鈥 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 26-year-old badminton player is the 1.25 billion-person country鈥檚 most successful female athlete of all time. That makes her extremely marketable: Nehwal represents various Indian and international brands. 听听
4. 听 听Caroline Wozniacki
Net worth:听$20 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Denmark
This year鈥檚听听female athlete makes the majority of her dough from sponsorship deals with top dollar brands like Rolex, Proactive, Adidas, and Sony.
5. 听 听Agnieszka Radwanska
Net worth:听$14.7 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Poland
鈥淭he Professor,鈥 a nickname given to her by other players due to the 27-year-old鈥檚 brilliant use of the court, has won more than $23 million in career purses.
6. 听 听Jelena Jankovic
Net worth:听$15 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Serbia
听has raked in more than $18-million in prize money since she started playing pro in 2000.
7. 听 听Ana Ivanovic
Net worth:听$15 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Serbia
Okay, the Serbian tennis star didn鈥檛 turn into the $100-million dollar woman听听a decade ago. But thanks to some big wins like the 2008 French Open and deals with Adidas and Rolex, the 28-year-old surely isn鈥檛 destitute.听
8. 听 听Garbine Muguruza
Net worth:听$12 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Spain
The Spanish-Venezuelan turned pro in 2012, and this year upset Serena in the French Open final. That win not only put the tennis world on notice, but also corporate sponsors鈥攖he 22-year-old is currently ranked as the听听athlete in the world.
9. 听 听Inbee Park
Net worth:听$9 Million
Sport:听Golf
Country:听South Korea
You may not know it, but South Koreans听. Among them, Inbee Park is queen. The 28-year-old, who now lives in California, has 25 professional tournament wins, and has spent more than a year as the top ranked female golfer in the world.
10. Eugenie Bouchard
Net worth:听$7 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Canada
Bouchard is the tenth听highest paid female athlete in 2016, thanks to endorsement deals with mega brands Coca-Cola and Nike.
Richest Men
1. 听 听Novak Djokovic
Net worth: $160 Million
Sport: Tennis
Country: Serbia
While the 29-year-old听,听Djoko is the first tennis player to reap over $100 million in match prize money. Contracts with听Uniqlo, Head, and Adidas, and a business and real estate empire in his home country, certainly don鈥檛 hurt either. The good news is that all that money hasn鈥檛 spoiled him: Djoko is still a pretty .
2. 听 听 Rafael Nadal
Net worth: $120 Million
Sport: Tennis
Country: Spain
Tournament wins have delivered the 30-year-old nearly $80 million over the course of his career. 鈥淭he King of Clay鈥 is also sponsored by Nike, Kia, and Tommy Hilfiger, among others. Despite his general success, Rafa鈥檚 trip to Rio was harrowing. He not only lost a medal match, he was 听Chinese food.听
3. 听 听Kevin Durant
Net worth: $120 Million
Sport: Basketball
Country: USA
Ballin鈥 for the Thunder and, this coming season, the Warriors, while cashing checks from Nike, Gatorade, and Degree, has made 27-year-old KD very rich. Forbes says Durant will be worth by 2024.
4. 听 听Carmelo Anthony
Net worth: $90 Million
Sport: Basketball
Country: USA
鈥楳elo signed a five-year, $124 million contract with the Knicks in 2014. The Brooklyn-born small/power forward also has endorsement deals with Jordan Brand, Draft Kings, and Las Vegas Sands. He鈥檚 been impressive so far on Team USA, but on whether the team is听actually听any good.
5. 听 听Neymar
Net worth: $75 Million
Sport: Soccer
Country: Brazil
As of 2014, the 24-year-old phenom was the fourth highest paid soccer player in the world, raking in about $28 million from his contract and sponsorships each year. His net worth, however, may be as volatile as his on field emotions鈥擭eymar has famously , and recently bought a $15 million yacht that requires $500,000 a year in upkeep.
6. 听 听Andy Murray
Net worth: $70 Million
Sport: Tennis
Country: Great Brittan
Coming off a 2016 Wimbledon victory, the 29-year-old Scott beat Argentine Juan Martin del Potro to take top honors in singles men's tennis at Rio. His sponsors鈥擴nder Armour, Jaguar, and Evian, among others鈥攁re very .
7. 听 听Pau Gasol
Net worth: $65 Million
Sport: Basketball
Country: Spain
Gasol made his money primarily from lucrative contract deals with the Grizzlies (鈥01 to 鈥08), Lakers (鈥08 to 鈥14), Bulls (鈥14 to 鈥16), and, now, the Spurs. According to Forbes, Gasol, 36, pulls in a relatively small $2.5 million a year in endorsements (Kevin Durant, for example, makes $36 million a year in endorsements).
8. 听 听DeMarcus Cousins
Net worth: $62 Million
Sport: Basketball
Country: USA
The Sacramento Kings鈥 averaged 27 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game last season. The team is probably glad they signed Boogie, 26, to a massive four-year deal in 2013.
9. 听 听Michael Phelps
Net worth: $55 Million
Sport: Swimming
Country: USA
Just two percent of Phelp鈥檚 net worth comes from prize money. The rest: sponsorship deals with Under Armour, Visa, and many more. That鈥檚 why Phelp鈥檚 success in Rio is so important for his long term earning potential鈥攈is 2014 DUI frightened some sponsors, but his current sobriety and dominance is an his brand.
10. 听 听Lee Chong Wei
Net worth: $45 Million
Sport: Badminton
Country: Malaysia
Yeah, we were surprised, too. But badminton is reportedly the in the world, behind soccer. Consider Wei, 33, the Ronaldo of badminton: he spent nearly four years as the world鈥檚 #1 ranked player, and he鈥檚 allegedly the highest paid Asian athlete. His fortune makes sense when you 鈥攈e鈥檚 the Bruce Lee of racquet sports.