Women's tennis players dominate the Forbes magazine Top 10 list of the highest-paid female athletes and Maria Sharapova is the leader for the seventh year in a row. Forbes included earnings from salaries, prize money, endorsements, appearance fees and exhibitions between July 2010 and July 2011.

The 24-year-old Maria Sharapova did make the final of Wimbledon, but the greatest share in her $25 million fortune earned in the one-year period came from lucrative deals with Nike, Head, Evian, Clear Shampoo, Sony Ericsson, Tiffany, Tag Heuer, and Cole Haan.

World No.1 tennis player Caroline Wozniacki occupies the second position in the list with twice smaller earnings of $12.5 ($6 million from tournaments and $6.5 million from sponsors). The 21-year-old Wozniacki has deals with Adidas, Yonex, Compeed and Oriflame.

THE HIGHEST-PAID FEMALE ATHLETES

1. Maria Sharapova
2. Caroline Wozniacki
3. Danica Patrick (auto racing driver)
4. Venus Williams
5. Kim Clijsters
6. Serena Williams
7. Kim Yu-na (figure skater)
8. Li Na
9. Ana Ivanovic
10. Paula Creamer (golfer)

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It’s only now that Li Na has returned home after her last month’s historic victory at the French Open and the WTA organized a celebration in Beijing. The China's first Grand Slam singles champion also attended a prize ceremony in her home province of Hubei, which awarded her with $94,000 and named her the Hubei Pioneer of Breakthrough.

Other than those two events, Li decided to rest at home and stay away from the limelight.

Since I have returned, I have tried my best to not go out if I can help it and just stay at home. Perhaps everyone's recognition of me is greater and their expectations will be higher, but to me I don't want to change the life I have been leading.

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For the previous Grand Slam I didn't include Li Na in my poll and she won the title, and now that I included her she lost in the second round! I know, she didn't lose to just anyone, she lost to Sabine Lisicki who won the Birmingham title on grass in the lead-up to Wimbledon, but still, my polls has been ruined too soon.

Anyway, the world No.62 Lisicki, a wildcard at the tournament, lost the first set, battled back to win the second and saved two match points in the decider when serving at 3-5 15-40. The German fired two service winners to bring the game to deuce and managed to hold serve with two aces. After a series of breaks Lisicki held for 7-6 and then broke the fourth-ranked Li to win the match 3-6 6-4 8-6.

The 8-0 win-loss record this grass season must be very rewarding to Lisicki, whose 2010 was marred by left ankle injury. Read more »

As our faithful reader P!nky suggested, I'm making a poll for Wimbledon, a bit reluctantly, though, as Roland Garros winner Li Na was not even included in my Roland Garros poll which featured twelve names. This time I've narrowed down my list a bit, but if the player you favor is not included, feel free to add her in the comments section.

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Li Na is here because grass is her good surface and she won the French Open recently, although she did lose early to Daniela Hantuchova at the AEGON International. Talking about Hantuchova, I think her current form gives her big credentials for this year's Wimbledon, although her retirement in the semifinal against Petra Kvitova at Eastbourne is worrying. Kvitova played the Wimbledon semifinals last year and this weekend she played the final of Eastbourne which she lost to Marion Bartoli. I wanted to give justice to Bartoli and include her as well, because she won on the grass of the Wimbledon tune-up, has had a great win-loss record recently and played the final of Wimbledon in 2007. Caroline Wozniacki is world No.1, so she has to make the list. Serena Williams is defending champion, although she didn't impress in the lead-up to Wimbledon, while her sister Venus won the tournament five times. And last but not least, the 2004 champion Maria Sharapova, who played impressively this clay-court season, and grass is her much better surface.

What do you say? Who do you think has the greatest chance to win Wimbledon 2011? (photo: Fimb)

Nike hired famed photographer Annie Leibovitz to shoot ads for their "Make Yourself" campaign and tennis players Li Na and Maria Sharapova are among the seven women’s athletes featured. Read more »