What is Serena and Venus Williams' net worth? How much money do they make?
The sisters are in the spotlight after Oscar wins for the biopic about their father, Richard, though the event was overshadowed by Will Smith's slap.
Serena and Venus Williams are two of tennis' greatest ever stars. Between them, they have won an astonishing 122 singles titles; 73 for Serena and 49 to Venus.
This has come with plenty of prize money and sponsorship over the years. Despite being at the tail end of their careers, they are back in the spotlight once more after the film about their father and coach, King Richard, was nominated for six Oscars, earning Will Smith his first for Best Actor in a leading role.
The sister's wealth
In 2017, Serena was the only female athlete on the Forbes list of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes. Two years later, Serena became the first athlete ever to make the Forbes list of America's Richest Self-Made Women and remained on the list this year with an estimated net worth of $225 million. $94 million of this is estimated to come from on court winnings, twice as much as any other female athlete.
Serena has long been the gold standard for endorsement deals. Nike were swift to capitalize on the American’s global popularity, signing her to a $40m deal in 2004 and supplying her court attire, while Wilson has provided Williams with rackets throughout her career. Among Serena Williams’ other endorsement deals are Gatorade, Delta, Aston Martin, Pepsi, IBM, Intel, Chase Bank and Beats by Dre headphones.
In comparison, Venus is estimated to have a net worth of $95 million. This comes from $42 million in on court earnings with the rest coming from investments, projects and sponsorships.
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What happened at the Oscars?
Will Smith attacked Chris Rock and told him to "f**k off" after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, at tonight's Oscar ceremony.
Chris Rock was up presenting the nominees for Best Documentary, when he made a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Will Smith went on to win Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams and in a tear-filled acceptance speech he apologised to the Academy and his fellow nominees, though not to Chris Rock.