Naomi Osaka tops Forbes list of highest-earning female athletes

Jan 13 (Reuters) – Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion who has helped raise awareness of mental health issues in sport, is the highest-paid female athlete in the world, according to a published list. Thursday by Forbes business magazine.

Osaka raised $ 57.3 million in prizes and endorsements over the past year, nearly all of which came from a sponsorship portfolio that has added more than 10 business partners over the past year and a half.

The list was released after a year in which Osaka withdrew from the French Open to focus on his mental health amid a public dispute over mandatory press conferences at the tournament.

Tennis players Serena Williams (45.9 million) and her older sister Venus (11.3 million) were next on the list. American gymnast Simone Biles (10.1 million) and Spanish tennis player Garbiñe Muguruza (8.8 million) completed the top five.

Collectively, the top 10 highest-paid female athletes earned a total of $ 166.6 million, which Forbes said was a 23% increase over their 2020 list.

South Korean golfer Ko Jin-young ($ 7.5 million), Indian badminton player PV Sindhu ($ 7.2 million), world number one tennis player Ash Barty ($ 6.9 million), golfer Nelly Korda ($ 5.9 million) and basketball player Candace Parker ($ 5.7 million) were the other athletes in the top 10. (Information from Frank Pingue in Toronto. Edited in Spanish by Javier Leira)