Aryna Sabalenka has already cemented her place in the tennis history books, with four Grand Slam singles titles and over 60 weeks as world No 1 already to her name.
However, a stunning 2025 season now sees the Belarusian break a record previously held by tennis icon Serena Williams, with Sabalenka moving ahead of the US great in a stunning prize money statistic.
Here, we look at how Sabalenka generated the most profitable prize money season in the history of the women’s game.
Serena Williams’ record
Williams previously set the record for the most prize money won in an individual season back in 2013, one of the most dominant years of her career.
That year, the American generated a staggering $12,385,572 in winnings, highlighted by €1,500,000 for winning the French Open, and $2,555,715 for lifting the US Open title.
It was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, seasons of her career, with 11 titles won and a further two finals reached — with 78 wins and just four defeats.
Until 2025, the closest anyone had come to breaking the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion’s record was Ashleigh Barty, who earned $11,307,587 in 2019.
However, Sabalenka has now broken Williams’ 12-year record in 2025, setting a new benchmark for prize money success.
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Sabalenka’s new milestone
Sabalenka’s season has not been quite as dominant as Williams’ 2013 campaign, with a major increase in prize money in recent years a factor in why this record has been broken.
However, there can be no denying that the Belarusian has been the best women’s tennis player of 2025 and has achieved one of the best years of her career.
The 27-year-old has so far won four titles in 2025, with her US Open success accompanied by triumphs at the Madrid Open, Miami Open, and the Brisbane International.
Ahead of the WTA Finals, Sabalenka had also reached a further four finals in 2025 — including runner-up finishes at the Australian Open and French Open.
Prior to the year-end championships in Riyadh, Sabalenka had already earned $12,313,519 in 2025, highlighted by a staggering $5,000,000 paycheck for her US Open win.
That put her within touching distance of Williams’ 2013 record, and her campaign in Riyadh means that she is now guaranteed to make history, regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s final.
An unbeaten campaign has so far seen the world No 1 earn $2,695,000 in Riyadh, with three group stage wins, a semi-final win, and a participation fee contributing to her haul.
That puts Sabalenka just above the $15,000,000 mark for the season and, if she were to win Saturday’s final and capture her fifth title of the year, she would claim a further $2,540,000 — pushing her above $17,000,000 in winnings for 2025.
Both she and final opponent Elena Rybakina are unbeaten at the WTA Finals, and the winner is guaranteed to earn a total of $5,235,000, which will be a record prize money payout for tennis.
The post How Aryna Sabalenka broke stunning Serena Williams prize money record in landmark 2025 season appeared first on Tennis365.
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