Top WTA players certainly make a good living, but Americans Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro take it to a whole new level with their astonishingly wealthy backgrounds, making their tennis earnings seem like pocket change. These two formidable Top 20 players are gearing up for their first-ever showdown in the fourth round of the Miami Open, promising to be the most financially extravagant match on the tour yet.
Jessica Pegula’s $6.8 billion family fortune
Jessica Pegula, who is half-Korean, comes from one of the richest families in the world, with her oil and gas magnate father Terry Pegula holding an estimated net worth of $6.8 billion. Terry is also the owner of various sports teams, including the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.
The WTA world No.5 Pegula is the wealthiest athlete in the world thanks to her background! To put things in perspective, even legendary sports icons such as Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, and Lionel Messi pale in comparison to her vast fortune. The 30-year-old is wealthier than retired tennis stars Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova combined.
Even though she’s born into luxury, Jessica Pegula possesses an extraordinary work ethic and an unyielding determination to leave her mark on tennis history. To date, Pegula has amassed $12,943,391 in prize money.
Her impressive track record includes reaching six Grand Slam quarterfinals and securing four WTA titles, showcasing her relentless drive on the court. Last year, she expressed her willingness to trade her father’s fortune for a Wimbledon title:
It would be great to win Wimbledon because then I would also have a lot of money from winning Wimbledon. I think I would trade, yes. I think that would probably be better.
Emma Navarro’s $3 billion family fortune
Twenty-two-year-old Emma Navarro is the daughter of Ben Navarro, a notable American businessman and the founder/CEO of Sherman Financial Group, LLC, which owns Credit One Bank. He’s the son of Frank Navarro, a college football coach.
Ben Navarro’s impact extends to the tennis world as well; he owns the Live To Play Tennis Club in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, a venue that has hosted several tennis events, including USTA national junior championships and ITF women’s pro circuit tournaments.
His involvement in tennis continued to grow as he acquired Charleston Tennis LLC in September 2018, the organization behind the Charleston Open, the largest women’s only tennis event in North America. Additionally, in 2022, Navarro’s Beemok Sports purchased the rights to the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Even though he’s a super successful businessmen, with an estimated net worth reported to be around $3 billion, Ben expressed his deep admiration for his daughter Emma and her work ethic in an interview five years ago:
I don’t know if you’re supposed to say this about your 17-year-old daughter, but she’s an inspiration to me. She’s up before school and does a brutal workout and then hits, then goes to school and practices again, comes home and does her homework and is happy as heck doing it all. I’m quite inspired by her focus and drive.
Emma won her first career title in Hobart this season and also made her career-best Grand Slam result at the 2024 Australian Open by reaching the third round. Her total career earnings on the WTA Tour amount to $1,300,560, with $527,865 earned in the current season alone.
Pegula is seeded fifth at the 2024 Miami Open and secured her spot in the fourth round with a hard-fought 7-5 6-4 victory over Leylah Fernandez. Navarro, who recently made her debut in the Top 20 of the WTA rankings, is seeded twentieth. She advanced to the fourth round with a 6-2 3-6 6-0 triumph over Jasmine Paolini.
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