The athlete who could be richer than Jordan and Woods combined

January 14, 2026 Oliver Obel

In elite sport, billionaires are usually self-made. They earn vast sums through prize money, salaries, endorsements and, in rare cases, long-term business ventures. Jessica Pegula stands apart not because of what she has earned on court, but because of the extraordinary fortune she could one day be connected to.

Pegula, currently ranked sixth in the world, has established herself as one of the most consistent players on the WTA Tour. She reached a career-high singles ranking of number three in 2022 and came close to a breakthrough Grand Slam title at the 2024 US Open, where she finished runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka.

By conventional sporting standards, her career has already been highly lucrative. According to WTA Tour prize money records, Pegula has earned more than $19 million (£14.2 million) in singles and doubles competition. That success, however, exists on a vastly different scale from the wealth associated with her family.

A fortune beyond sport

Pegula is the daughter of billionaire businessman Terry Pegula, whose fortune was built primarily in natural gas development before expanding into professional sports ownership. He owns the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, placing him among a small group of ultra-wealthy franchise owners in North America.

Forbes currently estimates Terry Pegula’s net worth at approximately $9.3 billion (£8.07 billion), though such valuations fluctuate with markets and asset performance. While the structure, timing and distribution of any inheritance cannot be predicted, that level of wealth would place his heirs in a financial category rarely associated with active professional athletes.

Jessica Pegula and her four siblings including two from her father’s first marriage could ultimately benefit from that fortune over time.

How it compares with sporting icons

Even the wealthiest figures in sports history fall well short of those numbers.

Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the richest athlete of all time, has a real-time net worth estimated by Forbes at around $3.8 billion (£2.83 billion). The bulk of that wealth stems not from his NBA salary, but from decades of commercial success, most notably his partnership with Nike.

Tiger Woods, whose dominance reshaped golf’s commercial landscape, is valued at roughly $1.3 billion (£1.03 billion), according to Forbes. Combined, Jordan and Woods account for about $5.1 billion (£3.86 billion) a figure that still trails the wealth associated with the Pegula family.

Wealth and perspective

Pegula has never framed her tennis career around money. Unlike many athletes whose financial security depends entirely on performance and longevity, she competes without the same economic pressures that define most professional careers.

In a sport where players outside the top ranks often struggle to break even, her position highlights a sharp distinction between inherited wealth and earnings generated through competition.

Pegula’s legacy in tennis will ultimately be measured by titles and consistency rather than balance sheets. Financially, however, her circumstances place her in a category unlike almost any of her peers and beyond even the most commercially successful legends the sporting world has produced.

Sources: Forbes, WTA Tour prize money records

Read also: Palestinian sport under siege