24 surprising athletes who have made an insane amount of money

Matt York/AP

We tend to think of the best athletes in sports as the highest-paid and best-compensated.

And LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Roger Federer do rank highly in career earnings in their respective sports.

But every sport has some surprising athletes who have made a ton of money, despite not ranking as perhaps the best at what they do or sustaining greatness over a long period of time.

We went through the career earnings of major sports and found a few athletes that would surprise even hardcore fans with how much money they've made. Of course, "surprising" also depends on the sport. For instance, only one golfer (Tiger Woods) has ever made over $100 million in winnings, while it's not uncommon for MLB or NBA players to make well over $100 million in their careers.

Below are 24 surprising athletes who have made a ton of money in their sports.

Data via Spotrac, PGA Tour, ATP, and WTA.

24. Agnieszka Radwanska — $27.6 million

Sport: Tennis

Age: 29

All-time rank in sport: 6th

One thing to know: Radwanska hasn't made a major final since Wimbledon in 2012, when she lost to Serena Williams. Ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in 2012, Radwanska hasn't yet won a tournament this year.

23. Tomas Berdych — $28.9 million

Sport: Tennis

Age: 32

All-time rank in sport: 9th

One thing to know: Like many of the men in tennis, with the Big 4 dominating, Berdych hasn't completely broken through. Since losing to Rafa Nadal in the Wimbledon final in 2010, Berdych has made five major semifinals but hasn't won one yet.

22. David Ferrer — $31.2 million

Sport: Tennis

Age: 36

All-time rank in sport: 7th

One thing to know: From 2007 to 2016, Ferrer lingered mostly in the top 10, getting as high as third in the world. But since sliding out of the top 10 in May of 2016, Ferrer has fallen to 148th in the world. Still, longevity, including 27 career titles (but no majors) has helped make him one of the highest-paid players in the history of the game.

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