Female Athletes and their Luxurious Earnings

They say that this is a man's world. This statement is so obvious actually. We often see men as the famous people, the rich and the powerful. Seldom we see women who are achieving what this males do. Maybe that's why there are chauvinistic male in the universe,eh. Some men see themselves as the center of this world.

On the other hand, there are also women who we can consider as rich, famous and powerful. And take note they are not wearing corporate uniforms but sportswear uniforms.

Who are they?

According to Forbes.com, these are the top 10 highest paid female athletes:

10. Lorena Ochoa

A Mexican professional golfer. She was an active player on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour from 2003 to 2010, and was the number one ranked female golfer in the world for over three years, from April 2007 to May 2010. As the first Mexican golfer (of either gender) to be ranked number one in the world, she is considered the best Mexican golfer of all time. Ochoa took up golf at the age of five, won her first state event at the age of six, and her first national event at seven.However on April 20, 2010, Ochoa released a statement indicating her intent to retire from professional golf.

Income: $5 million

9. Paula Creamer

An American professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. As a professional, she has won 11 tournaments, including 9 LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high as number 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She is the current U.S. Open champion, and is undefeated in three years of singles play in the Solheim Cup. As an amateur, Creamer won numerous junior golf titles, including 11 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments. Creamer joined the LPGA Tour in the 2005 season, and her victory in that year's Sybase Classic made her the LPGA's second-youngest event winner.

Income: $5.2 million

8. Jelena Janković

A former World No. 1 Serbian professional tennis player. She was runner up at the 2008 US Open and is currently ranked World No. 5.She was ranked World No. 1 for seventeen consecutive weeks until she was overtaken by Serena Williams on February 2, 2009. She was the year-end World No. 1 in 2008, the second player in the history of the WTA tour to do this without winning a Grand Slam title, after Kim Clijsters.

Income: $5.3 million

7. Ana Ivanovic

A former World No.1 Serbian tennis player. As of August 23, 2010, she is ranked World No. 41 on the WTA rankings. She won the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 200 but at the beginning of 2006, she switched to rival Adidas. Ivanovic then signed a lifetime contract with Adidas, she will wear three-stripe products for the rest of her career. Ivanovic will then become an Ambassador for Adidas upon retirement from competitive tennis, she is believed to be the youngest athlete, male or female, to sign a contract that long.

Income: $7.2 million

6. Annika Sörenstam

A Swedish professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before "stepping away" from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer with the most wins to her name. She has won 72 official LPGA tournaments including ten majors and 18 other tournaments internationally, and she tops the LPGA's career money list with earnings of over $22 million—over $8 million ahead of her nearest rival. Since 2006 Sörenstam has held dual American and Swedish citizenship.

Income: $8 million

5. Kim Yu-na

She is the 2010 Olympic champion in ladies singles, the 2009 World champion, the 2009 Four Continents champion, a three-time (2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2009–2010) Grand Prix Final champion, the 2006 World Junior champion, the 2005–2006 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, a four-time (2002–2005) South Korean Senior national champion and the 2001 South Korean Junior national champion.As of August 2010, she is ranked 1st in the world by the International Skating Union (ISU). She is the current record holder for ladies in the short program,the free skating and the combined total under the ISU Judging System. Also she was the first female skater to surpass the 200-point mark under the ISU Judging System. She has never placed off the podium in her entire career.

Income: $9.7 million

4. Danica Sue Patrick

An American auto racing driver, currently competing in the IndyCar Series, the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards, and the NASCAR Nationwide Series, as well as a model and advertising spokeswoman. Patrick was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series season. With her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300, Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy car race. Patrick currently drives the #7 GoDaddy.com Honda/Dallara for Andretti Autosport. In 2010, Patrick began racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, driving the #7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports part-time. She also has an equity stake in her #7 team. She placed 3rd in the 2009 Indianapolis 500, which was both a personal best for her at the track and the highest finish by a woman in the event's history.

Income: $12 million

3. Venus Ebony Starr Williams

An American professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 4 in singles and World No. 1 in doubles. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 25, 2002. Williams is the reigning champion in women's doubles at the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open. Her 21 Grand Slam titles ties her for twelfth on the all time list and is more than any other active female player except for her sister Serena Williams: seven in singles, twelve in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Her seven Grand Slam singles titles ties her with four other women for twelfth on the all-time list. Williams has won three Olympic gold medals, one in singles and two in women's doubles. She has won more Olympic gold medals than any other female tennis player.

Income: $15.4 million

2. Serena Jameka Williams

An American professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 1 in singles and No. 2 in doubles with sister Venus Williams(12/8/10). The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her World No. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She regained this ranking for the fifth time on November 2, 2009. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002. On July 3, 2010, she became 6th on the all-time greatest champions list.She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so. She has won more Grand Slam titles in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles than any other active female player.

Income: $20.2 million

1. Maria Yuryevna Sharapova

A former World No. 1 Russian professional tennis player. Sharapova has won 22 WTA singles titles, 3 WTA doubles titles and 3 Grand Slam singles titles, including 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on Aug 22, 2005. She is currently ranked World No. 17.Sharapova's public profile extends beyond tennis, as she has been featured in a number of modeling assignments, including a feature in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Also she has been featured in many advertisements including Nike, Prince, Canon and many more, also being the face of many fashion houses, primarily Cole Haan. Sharapova was the most searched-for athlete on Yahoo! in both 2005 and 2008. ince February 2007, she has been a United Nations Development Project Goodwill Ambassador, concerned specifically with the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme.

Income: $24.5 million