Tiger Woods tops Forbes magazine's rich list Tiger Woods is the world's highest-paid sportsman, according to Forbes magazine. Picture: Gene J. Puskar. THE surging growth of women's tennis is measured in the 2013 Forbes' world's highest-paid athletes list with Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Li Na the only three women to make the cut. Dominated by American baseballers and basketballers, no Australians make the list topped by golfer Tiger Woods. A lock in the No 1 position since 2001 until he was overtaken last year by boxer Floyd Mayweather, Woods is estimated to have earned $78.1million last year. That figure is comprised of endorsements, prize money, exhibitions and appearance fees. Roger Federer is second with $71.5million, ahead of basketballers Kobe Bryant ($61.9million) and LeBron James ($59.8million). Major league baseball provides the majority of seven-figure earners with 27 of the top 100. Basketball has 21 entries ahead of NFL (14) and soccer (13). Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was ranked 40th with $24.2million. Sharapova remains the world's highest-paid female athlete in the world with $29million - a figure which leaves the Russian in 22nd place overall. Williams (68th, $20.5million) and Li (85th, $18.26million) are the only other tennis players apart from Novak Djokovic (28th, $26.9million) and Rafael Nadal (30th, $26.4million). WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster said: "We are fortunate to have such globally popular stars like Maria, Serena and Li Na that brands around the world want to invest in and be associated with. As the WTA celebrates our 40th anniversary, the incredible off-court success of our athletes is another indication of how far the sport has come. Sharapova's earnings came principally from lucrative global endorsements with Nike, Head and Porsche, as well as the launch of her premium candy line "Sugapova" in August 2012. World No.1 Williams is sponsored by Nike, Gatorade, Wilson and OPI, as well as promoting her own clothing and accessories line on the Home Shopping Network (HSN). Li is the only Asian-born player to win a grand slam singles title (2011 French Open) and features the top 100 for the second consecutive year based on with Nike, Babolat, Samsung, Mercedes and Rolex. The Chinese star was also recently named as one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People. Tiger Woods $78.1million Roger Federer $71.5million Kobe Bryant $61.9million LeBron James $59.8million Drew Brees $51million Aaron Rodgers $49million Phil Mickelson $48.7million David Beckham $47.2million Cristiano Ronaldo $44million Lionel Messi $41.3million