Single-season tennis earnings of $6,545,586

Serena Williams has set a single-season prize money record on the women's tour by earning $6,545,586 in 2009, according to the Women's Tennis Association.

The 11-times grand slam champion and world number one now has career earnings approaching $30 million.

"It's incredible how much women's tennis has grown in the last few years and that the Tour has increased our prize money so significantly," Williams said in a statement.

"We are very fortunate to have an opportunity to be so well rewarded for doing something we love."

This season Williams eclipsed the previous record of $5,429,586 set by Belgian Justine Henin in 2007.

Earlier this year, Williams also surpassed Lindsay Davenport as record holder in career prize-money earnings on the Tour, and became the first professional female athlete to earn more than $23 million in a single professional sports league.

The 28-year-old American won the 2009 season-ending Championships as well as Australian Open and Wimbledon crowns this season.

Factbox

• In 1971 total Tour prize money for 19 events was $309,100. By 2009, it had grown to more than $86 million at the Tour's 55 events (including the four grand slam tournaments, which are not operated by the Tour)

• Billie Jean King became the first female tennis player to pass the six-figure mark in single-season earnings in 1971. In 2008, 143 women earned more than $100,000 during the season.

• Chris Evert became the first woman to pass $1m in career earnings at the Colgate Champs in Palm Springs, CA, in 1976. Ten years later Martina Navratilova became the first woman to pass $10m in career earnings at the US Indoors.

• By winning the 1982 Wimbledon title, Navratilova became the all-time prize-money leader in tennis, overtaking both Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors, a mantle she held until 1989. Later that year, she became the first female player to pass $1m in a single-season finishing with $1,475,055.

• In 1984, Navratilova surpassed the $2m mark in season earnings, in 1997 Martina Hingis passed the $3m mark, in 2003 Kim Clijsters passed the $4m plateau and in 2007 Justine Henin became the first woman in sports to pass $5m in single-season earnings.

• On three occasions, a woman has been the top earner (men or women) in tennis: 1984 - Martina Navratilova, 1991 - Monica Seles and 2003 - Kim Clijsters.

• By winning the singles and doubles at the 2009 Australian Open, Serena Williams became the first professional female athlete to pass the $23m mark in a single professional sports league.