Naomi Osaka dethrones Serena Williams to become world's highest-paid female athlete

Naomi Osaka has dethroned tennis legend Serena Williams as the highest-paid female athlete of 2020. Forbes released the list dominated by tennis stars on Monday. Japanese star Naomi Osaka toppled Serena Williams to take the top spot. Osaka made $3.4 million in prize money and banked another $32 million from her numerous endorsement deals.

Meanwhile, Williams did manage to beat Osaka with respect to prize money, having won $4 million in 2019. She fell $1.4 million short of the 22-year-old as she raked in $32 million from her endorsements. Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty comes in at No. 3 with combined earnings of $13.1 million.

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Naomi Osaka kickstarted 2019 with a bang by winning the Australian Open. It was her second consecutive Grand Slam title after she had won the US Open to bring 2018 to an end. While Osaka did not enjoy the best success on the court, she made the list courtesy of her numerous endorsement deals. Osaka endorses the likes of Nike, Nissin, Procter & Gamble and All Nippon. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Osaka's net worth is between $25 and $30 million. 

Despite being only 22, the current World No.10 is among the most popular female tennis stars in the world. Osaka became Japan’s first Grand Slam singles champion (man or woman) after beating her Serena Williams in US Open final in 2018. Since winning the 2019 Australian Open, Osaka is yet to make a lasting impact in Grand Slam tournaments.

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The second highest-paid female athlete in the world, Serena Williams is still one of the most prominent female athletes in the world. The 13-time Grand Slam champion endorses brands like Nike, Gatorade, Procter & Gamble and Beats. Williams, along with her husband Alexis Ohanian and daughter Olympia, is part of the investment group that was awarded the newest National Women’s Soccer League expansion team in LA.

Current World No. 1, Ash Barty makes the top three on the back of a stellar 2019 season. Barty made $10.1 million in prize money as she became the first Australian women ranked No. 1 since 1976. She won the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China, in November 2019 and also picked up the French Open title last year. Ash Barty's net worth is estimated to be just north of $10 million. 

US soccer star Alex Morgan is the only non-tennis star to have cracked the top 10.

Highest-paid female athletes: Top 10

1. Naomi Osaka (Total Earnings: $37.4 million)

2. Serena Williams (Total Earnings: $36 million)

3. Ashleigh Barty (Total Earnings: $13.1 million)

4. Simona Halep (Total Earnings: $10.9 million)

5. Bianca Andreescu (Total Earnings: $8.9 million)

6. Garbine Muguruza (Total Earnings: $6.6 million)

7. Elina Svitolina (Total Earnings: $6.4 million)

8. Sofia Kenin (Total Earnings: $5.8 million)

9. Angelique Kerber (Total Earnings: $5.3 million)

10. Alex Morgan (Total Earnings: $4.6 million)

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(Image Credits: AP)