Naomi Osaka beats Serena Williams and Sharapova as the highest-paid athlete in history!

Naomi Osaka is one of the most likable characters in tennis with her great personality, coupled with fantastic results. According to Forbes, the 2-times slam champion became the highest-paid female athlete in history in 2019, beating her childhood idol Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.

According to the prestigious publication, Naomi has earned $37.4 million in the last 12 months from both prize money and endorsements surpassing Serena for $1,4 million, setting an all-time record for any female athlete in a given season. That record used to belong to Maria Sharapova that earned  $29.7 million back in 2015.

Credit: Forbes

Most of Naomi’s income came from extremely profitable endorsements. The former world no.1 can also rely on her unique multicultural appeal as she was raised in the US by a Japanese mother and a father from Haiti.

Naomi got endorsements from top brands such as Nissan, Citizen, Shiseido, Nissin, MasterCard, Procter & Gamble, Nike, and Sports drink BodyArmor just to name some.

Talking to Forbes, IMG’s head of tennis Max Eisenbud commented: “We were fortunate to have a very sophisticated office in Tokyo that already had the experience with Kei. The relationships in that region are important.” 

Naomi commented: “I’m really interested in seeing a young business grow and adding value to that process. I tasked my team with finding brands that align with my personality and my interests.”

Naomi Osaka’s ranking and performance in 2020

Currently the world no.10, Naomi played her last match on the 7^th of February when she was defeated by Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-0 6-3 in the Rubber 1 of the Fed Cup.

Naomi Osaka’s most significant accomplishment of the current year was reaching the semi-finals in Brisbane.

Serena Williams’s ranking and performance in 2020

Ranked world no.9, the American played her last match on the 8^th of February when she capitulated to Anastasija Sevastova 7-6⁵ 3-6 7-6⁴ in the Rubber 4 of the Fed Cup.

At present, this year Serena Williams has a 8-2 win-loss record. The American conquered 1 title in Auckland.

Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams played each other 3 times. The head to head is 2-1 for Osaka. The last time that they played, Serena Williams won 6-3 6-4 in the quarter in Toronto (Rogers Cup) in August 2019.

Here the video highlights.