Li Na (李娜)

Sport: Tennis

Age: 31

2012 earnings: 112.43 million yuan (US$18.04 million)

2011 ranking: 1

Li Na is undoubtedly the most successful tennis player ever to come from China. In January 2011, Li reached the final of the 2011 Australian Open, becoming the first player from an Asian country to appear in a Grand Slam singles final. In June of that same year, she won the 2011 French Open singles title, making her the first player from an Asian country to win a Grand Slam in the singles competition.

However, after her French Open triumph Li has not won another tournament and has even found it hard to reach a final in 2012 until she made it back into the top eight elite and qualified for the season-ending WTA Championships last October. As the richest Chinese athlete of the year, Li's total income is triple that of Liu Xiang's earnings last year, and even higher than the total sum of her four nearest followers.