Forbes released its annual ranking of the world’s highest-paid female athletes of 2022 and Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams top the list.
Serena Williams paved the way for many female tennis players. For a long time, she held the No. 1 spot as the highest-paid female tennis player in the world. However, Naomi Osaka has followed in the footsteps of Williams and has now topped the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes for the third year in a row.
Osaka is on top of the list with $51.1 million in earnings. 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams is second with $41.3 million. Only 2.15% of Osaka’s earnings were via prize money in a rather underwhelming season for the 4-time Grand Slam champion. She still has managed to retain big sponsors like Nike, Nissan, Citizen, Yonex, and MasterCard. Williams earned 99.27% of her money from sponsors and other investments as the veteran American played very few matches in the year.
Three tennis stars have made their debut on the list and they are Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff. Raducanu might have had a disappointing season and suffered various setbacks throughout the year, but that has not affected her earnings too much. She is at No. 4 in the list. Iga Swiatek took the WTA circuit by storm and won as many as 8 titles, including two Grand Slams. Tennis stars have smashed it out of the park. 6 out of the top 7 earners of 2022 are tennis players. 7 out of the top 10 earners are from the tennis field. Venus Williams and Jessica Pegula are placed at No. 7 and No. 9 respectively.
Fans’ reactions to Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams at the top of Forbes
Let’s take a look at some of the best reactions from the fans.
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