World’s 10 highest-paid sportswomen: names and earnings

By , K24 Digital
On Wed, 19 Aug, 2020 20:33 | < 1 min read
Naomi Osaka of Japan earned Ksh4.1 billion in one year, making her the world’s highest-paid sportswoman in 2019/2020. [PHOTO | COURTESY]
Naomi Osaka of Japan earned Ksh4.1 billion in one year, making her the world’s highest-paid sportswoman in 2019/2020. [PHOTO | COURTESY]
Naomi Osaka of Japan earned Ksh4.1 billion in one year, making her the world’s highest-paid sportswoman in 2019/2020. [PHOTO | COURTESY]

The world's nine highest-earning sportswomen over the past year are all tennis players, according to research by US business magazine Forbes.

Japan's Naomi Osaka tops the list with earnings of $37.4m (Ksh4.1 billion), ahead of Serena Williams with $36m (Ksh3.9 billion).

World number one Ashleigh Barty is third with income of $13.1m (Ksh1.4 billion).

United States international footballer Alex Morgan is the only athlete from outside tennis in the top 10, earning $4.6m (Ksh499 million).

Morgan, who gave birth to her first child in May, earned $4.2m (Ksh456 million) of her income through endorsements during the span of Forbes analysis - between 1 June 2019 and 1 June 2020.

The US women's team, winners of the Women's World Cup in July 2019, are currently in dispute with their federation, appealing against a judge's decision to reject their claims of being underpaid compared with the US men's team.

Osaka, 22, and Williams, 38, have both broken the previous record for annual earnings, set at $29.7m (Ksh3.2 billion) in 2015 by Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova.

In a list of the world's 100 best-paid sportspeople published by Forbes in May, Osaka (29th) and Williams (33rd) were the only women.

Top 10 highest-earning sportswomen*

Rank    Name                           Sport               Earnings

1          Naomi Osaka                Tennis              $37.4m (Ksh4.1 billion)

2          Serena Williams           Tennis              $36m (Ksh3.9 billion)

3          Ashleigh Barty              Tennis              $13.1m (Ksh1.4 billion)

4          Simona Halep               Tennis              $10.9m (Ksh1.2 billion)

5          Bianca Andreescu         Tennis              $8.9m (Ksh965.7 million)

6          Garbine Muguruza       Tennis              $6.6m (Ksh716.1 million)

7          Elina Svitolina              Tennis              $6.4m (Ksh694.4 million)

8          Sofia Kenin                   Tennis              $5.8m (Ksh629.3 million)

9          Angelique Kerber         Tennis              $5.3m (Ksh575.1 million)

10        Alex Morgan                 Football            $4.6m (Ksh499.1 million)

*Between June 2019 and June 2020, according to Forbes

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