Japanese professional tennis player, Naomi Osaka, has made history by becoming the top female earner among athletes earning $55.2 million in the last 12 months. The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2018 by winning the US Open. Following her victory in the United States, she went on to grab hold on her next Australian Open title, becoming the first Japanese tennis player to win two Grand Slam singles titles.
According to Sportico, Osaka earned $55.2 million over the last 12 months, with $5.2 million from prize money and an estimated $50 million off the court, landing her at no. 15 in Sportico’s ranking of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes. She had previously made history back in 2019 by setting the highest all-time earnings for a female athlete in a single year, earning a total of $37.4 million from prize money and endorsements, $1.4 million more than Williams.
The figure for traditional endorsements is the largest payday in history for any female athlete, which matched the figures of professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, and below only to the likes of Roger Federer, LeBron James, and Tiger Woods. Moreover, she is the second tennis player on Sportico’s top 100 list for 2020, only behind Roger Federer ($84 million).
Even though pandemic disrupted Tennis, Naomi Osaka had a successful year as she had two more Grand Slams to her name. Besides her winnings from the tournament, she added a massive $50 million to her purse through endorsement deals. Her endorsements included deals with huge brands like Nike, Levi’s, Louis Vuitton, Tag Heuer, Workday, Hyperice, BodyArmor, and Sweetgreen. The Japanese tennis star also became part owner of NWSL’s North Carolina Courage.
Meanwhile, the highest-earning sportsperson list of  Sportico isUFC fighter Conor McGregor ($208 million), FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi ($126 million), Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo ($120 million), Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott ($108.4 million), and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James ($101.8 million) in the top five, respectively.