World No 1 has already bagged £2m more in 2024 than Emma Raducanu's entire career earnings

The WTA Tour money list has a new sheriff in town - and her name is Iga Swiatek. The Polish powerhouse polished off Jasmine Paolini in straight sets to claim her fourth French Open title on Saturday, and the £2million prize money that came with it.

And that's now the same sum distancing Swiatek's winnings in 2024 from Emma Raducanu's entire career wealth. While many might have predicted that Raducanu was destined for on-court riches following her ground-breaking US Open triumph in 2021, her trajectory hasn't lived up to expectations since then.

On the other hand, Swiatek has gone from strength to strength in her quest as the new darling of women's tennis. The 23-year-old phenomenon has now lifted three consecutive crowns at Roland Garros, not to mention spending more than 100 weeks as world No 1 having also clinched four WTA 1000 titles thus far in 2024.

Swiatek has stacked up a remarkable prize pot of around £5.3m so far this calendar year, which is enough to put most professionals' career winnings to shame. By comparison, 21-year-old Raducanu has only raked in roughly £3.1m from her on-court exploits since she turned pro in 2018.

To put Swiatek's quality into further context, it's worth noting she only entered the professional realm two years before Raducanu. However, her career earnings are almost tenfold those of her British rival, having amassed £24.5m from competitions alone to date.

It's remarkable to think the 2024 tennis calendar is only halfway done, with Wimbledon and the US Open still to come. That could provide Swiatek with a bright chance to surpass the eight-figure mark (in sterling) this year, which may yet end with three major trophies.

Raducanu, on the other hand, would be glad of a sustained run of fitness after missing the French Open. The Briton - who lost to Swiatek in straight sets at the Stuttgart Open earlier this year - withdrew from qualifying at Roland Garros and has been absent from four of the past six Grand Slams amid a string of injury issues.

The 21-year-old has traditionally fared far better at Wimbledon and the US Open thus far in her fledgling career. However, Swiatek has shown no aversion at any major and registered deep runs in each of the four tournaments.

The Pole recorded a career-best quarter-final finish at Wimbledon last year before she was ousted by wildcard Elina Svitolina in a major upset. She also suffered a surprise defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open, one year after claiming the title in New York.

Swiatek is already up to ninth in the WTA's all-time earners' list, and it's not inconceivable she could rise to second by 2025, with only £9m separating her from current runner-up Venus Williams (£33.5m). However, she has a long way to go before she can challenge Serena Williams' £74.7m hoard, worth more than double as much as any potential peer.