Osaka top, Barty eighth in Forbes’ list of highest-earning female athletes

Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka is the world’s highest-paid female athlete, with Australia’s world No.1 Ash Barty also in the top 10, according to a list published by Forbes magazine.

Osaka raked in $US57.3 million ($78.7 million) in prizemoney and endorsements over the past year, nearly all of which came from an endorsement portfolio that has added more than 10 brand partners over the last year and a half. Barty, who was eighth on the list with $US6.9 million, made more on the court than any other women’s tennis player in 2021.

Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty are among five tennis players in the top 10 of the Forbes list.Credit: Getty

The list was published after a year in which Osaka withdrew from the French Open to focus on her mental health amid a public row over mandatory press conferences at the grand slam, saying they took too great a toll on her mental wellbeing.

Fellow tennis players Serena Williams ($US45.9 million) and older sister Venus ($US11.3 million) were next on the list. American gymnast Simone Biles ($US10.1 million) and Spanish tennis player Garbine Muguruza ($US8.8 million) rounded out the top five.

Tennis players made up five of the list’s 10 spots, which Forbes said marked the sport’s lowest tally in more than a decade and a dramatic change from 2019 when it claimed all 10.

Collectively, the 10 highest-paid female athletes earned a total of $US166.6 million, which Forbes said was a 23 per cent increase on its 2020 list.

South Korean golfer Ko Jin-young ($US7.5 million), Indian badminton player PV Sindhu ($US7.2 million), golfer Nelly Korda ($US5.9 million) and basketball player Candace Parker ($US5.7 million) were the other athletes in the top 10.

Reuters

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