Serena Williams

 Earnings: $16.3 million

2011 ranking: 6

2011 earning: $10.5 million

Williams remains the world's most dominant player when healthy. She showed that in July when she won her fifth Wimbledon crown and 14th Grand Slam title overall. Williams has won $38 million in career prize money, which is tops among women and fourth among all tennis players, including men. She has been part of the Nike family since the end of 2003.