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Naomi Osaka edges Serena Williams to become the world’s highest-paid female athlete
May 24, 2020
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has become the world’s highest-paid female athlete, making $37.4 million (Sh4 billion) in the past 12 months for an earnings record, according to Forbes magazine.
The 22-year-old Asian star, a two-time Grand Slam champion, edged US rival Serena Williams by $1.4 million (Sh149m) in prize money and endorsement income over the past year.
Both shattered the old single-year earnings mark of $29.7 million (Sh3.1b) set in 2015 by Russia’s Maria Sharapova, who retired in February with five Grand Slam titles, including a career Slam.
“To those outside the tennis world, Osaka is a relatively fresh face with a great back story,” University of Southern California sports business professor David Carter told Forbes.
“Combine that with being youthful and bicultural -two attributes that help her resonate with younger, global audiences -and the result is the emergence of a global sports marketing icon.”
Osaka, whose father was born in Haiti and whose mother is Japanese, ranks 29th on the 2020 Forbes list of the world’s 100 top-paid athletes, four spots ahead of Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
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The complete list, due to be released next week, has not featured two women since 2016, according to the magazine.
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