Ash Barty third on Forbes women’s rich list as Osaka leads the way

World No 1 Ash Barty was among the 10 highest paid female athletes in the world in 2019 after a remarkable season.

Australia’s Ash Barty

Ash Barty’s phenomenal performance in 2019 has catapulted the Australian star into the upper echelon of the world’s highest-paid female athletes.

Although the world No 1 claimed the most prize money in women’s tennis last year, her overall earnings still pale in comparison to the biggest two names in women’s tennis — Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.

The reigning French Open champion was the third-highest paid female athlete in the world in 2019 according to an annual rich-list produced by Forbes, which was released on Tuesday.

The WTA Finals champion, who also collected the Miami Open and the world’s top ranking for the first time when she won in Birmingham last June, is estimated to have earned $18.1m in 2019.

Almost $14m of that was won on the court, with the Queenslander claiming the biggest purse in tennis history of $6.4m in Shenzhen’s WTA Finals last October.

Formula One driver Dan Ricciardo is the only Australian to make the top 100 list, which was released in May, and sits at 48 with estimated earnings of $40m.

The 31-year-old, who will join McLaren next season, has contested the accuracy of reporting related to his current contract with Renault.

Naomi Osaka was paid more than any other female athlete last year, ahead of Serena Williams

Swiss superstar Roger Federer headed the rich-list this year for the first time with estimated earnings of $146m in a season where his best performance came at Wimbledon when he was beaten by Novak Djokovic.

As a result of her remarkable success last season and current ranking, along with her popularity in Australia and abroad, Barty’s endorsement potential has blossomed even further in 2020.

It was reported during the local champion’s run to the Australian Open semi-finals in January that she would have earned $1.5m alone in endorsements for that month.

The Australian is sponsored by companies including Head, Fila, Jaguar, Rado, Kayo Sports and is also the face of Vegemite. She starred in a campaign for Disney+ through January as well.

But the phenomenal off-court portfolio of fellow stars Osaka and Williams dwarfed the overall earnings of the Australian in what is a tennis dominated list, with the first nine women all on the WTA Tour.

Both Osaka, who earned almost $52m last season, and Williams, who earned just shy of $50m, both made enough to feature in the male-dominated 100 richest athletes.

A US and Australian Open champion, Osaka is the highest-paid female athlete ever in a single year and is ranked at 29 this year on the all-time list.

The 22-year-old, who is of Japanese-Haitian heritage, resides in Florida and carries global appeal for major international companies including Nike, Proctor & Gamble and Nissan Motors.

She is estimated to have earned nearly $14m alone from a sponsorship with Nike, according to Forbes, and was to be among the faces of the postponed Tokyo Olympics, which will be held in 2021.

Here are the 10 highest-paid female athletes of 2020: https://t.co/ftj6YpySOQ by @kbadenhausen pic.twitter.com/2cEh41R8zt

— Forbes (@Forbes) August 17, 2020

Williams, who is seeking a 24th major title in the US Open beginning later this month, has been a headliner for decades and also carries broad global appeal for sponsors.

The pair’s estimated wealth for 2019 confirmed a general rule of thumb for the world’s highest-paid players, namely that sponsorship earnings are generally between eight and 10 times the amount earned on court in any given season.

Osaka, who won the 2019 Australian Open, earned $4.7m in prize money last year. Williams, who reached the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open, edged Osaka in terms of prize money with $5.5m.

American soccer star Alex Morgan is the first non-tennis player on the women’s rich list at No 10, having earned almost $7m, primarily through a Nike sponsorship.

The impacts of coronavirus on the global sporting economy will see a significant dip in income earned on court in 2020.

China recently cancelled the lucrative tour swing in October due to COVID-19 despite tennis resuming over the past fortnight in Europe and America.

Simona Halep, who was ranked fourth in terms of the rich list, became the latest top player to announce she will skip the US Open beginning on August 31 due to concerns regarding coronavirus.

It means that six of the world’s top 10 women, headed by Barty, will be absent. Rafael Nadal is also skipping his title defence to focus on the rescheduled French Open in late September.

Forbes Rich List female athletes 2020

1. Naomi Osaka $51.8m

2. Serena Williams $49.9m

3. Ash Barty $18.1m

4. Simona Halep $15.1m

5. Bianca Andreescu $8.9m

6. Garbine Muguruza $9.1m

7. Elina Svitolina $8.9m

8. Sofia Kenin $8m

9. Angelique Kerber $7.3m

10. Alex Morgan $6.4m

* Earnings comprise prize money and endorsements and have been converted to AUD

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After weighing up all the factors involved and with the exceptional circumstances in which we are living, I have decided that I will not travel to New York to play the @usopen

I always said I would put my health at the heart of my decision

— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) August 17, 2020