Naomi Osaka has achieved a lot of success in her career so far. The 21-year-old won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open last year. She won her second Grand Slam title at this year’s Australian Open, achieving the number one ranking in the process. The Japanese star’s success on the court has translated off the court as she was ranked as the most marketable athlete of 2019.
Most marketable athlete
SportsPro released its report on the “World’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes 2019” in August. Osaka topped the list after a successful 12 months. The report considered an athlete’s potential appeal in the next three years. The criteria used in the rankings were the age of the athletes, home market and crossover appeal, and their charisma. Osaka was born in Japan but her family moved to the United States when she was three-years-old. The 21-year-old earned around $16 million dollars in endorsements last year. Among her main sponsors are Nike, MasterCard, and Procter & Gamble.
When Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were leading
In a recent interview, Osaka answered questions about her commercial value and being the most marketable athlete in the world. The two-time Grand Slam champion said she was happy to play a sport she loved. She added that she did not think much about the commercial side of the game. Osaka credited her agent for helping choose which deals she would pick. Including prize money, she earned over $20 million dollars over the last 12 months. According to Forbes, she is the fourth female athlete to earn $20 million dollars in a year. The other players are Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Li Na.
In the past, Serena Williams and Sharapova were the most marketable female tennis players. The two are the highest-earning players in WTA history. Williams has earned over $70 million dollars in prize money and endorsements. The Russian has accumulated over $35 million dollars in endorsements and prize money over the course of her career. She has signed deals with Nike and Porsche while Williams has also signed with Nike and Gatorade among other companies. Osaka has the opportunity to match the two players’ career achievements both on and off the court. She won the fifth title of her career this week at the China Open. The 21-year-old has also qualified for the WTA finals in Shenzhen. The winner of the finals could earn up to $4.75 million dollars in prize money.
Naomi Osaka’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.3, the Japanese played her last match on the 6th of October when she defeated Ashleigh Barty 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final in Beijing to win her 4th career title.
This year the Japanese has a 39-11 win-loss record. The Japanese has won 3 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Osaka and in Beijing.
Maria Sharapova’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.137, the Russian played her last match on the 26th of August when she had to bow to Serena Williams 6-1 6-1 in the 1st round in U.S. Open.
Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova played each other once and the head to head is 1-0 for Osaka.
The last time that they competed against each other, Naomi Osaka won 6-4 6-4 in the 1st round in Indian Wells in March 2018.
Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams |
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