Britain’s
Emma Raducanu and Japan’s
Naomi Osaka continue to
earn big despite their below-par performances in recent years. The two are
featured in the world's top 15 list of highest-paid woman athletes.
Interestingly, nine of the athletes featured in that list are tennis players.
America’s Coco Gauff is top on the list with $30.4 million. Japan’s
Osaka and Britain’s Raducanu are placed on the sixth and seventh on the list. Both
players did not win a single competition in 2024 and did not even manage to
play in the final of any WTA event. Despite that, they remain a big attraction
for the top brands.
Osaka ended up earning $15 million in 2024. Out of that, she
only managed to earn $870,000 in prize money. Despite that, she has been endorsed
by a number of brands such as Nike, Panasonic, Beats, Tag Heuer, Louis Vuitton,
Mastercard and Nissan. Reportedly, Osaka’s deal with Nike earns her $10 million
a year.
On the other hand, Raducanu reportedly earned about $14.7
million in 2024 out of which only $671,000 came from the prize money. She has
been sponsored by big brands such as Nike, HSBC, British Airways Vodafone and
Porsche. Reportedly, her deal with Nike earns her $1.5 million a year whereas her
deal with Vodafone earns her a $4 million per year.
This in turn means that she earned more than Aryna Sabalenka ($8m) and Elena Rybakina ($8m) combined despite a poor year on the court.
Osaka, who returned to the court earlier this year after
spending more than 12 months on the sidelines, played 37 matches in 2024 on the
court, where she won 20 and lost on 17 occasions. Her best appearance came in
the WTA 1000 event Qatar Open in Doha, where she was knocked out after losing
in the quarterfinal to Karolina Pliskova in straight sets with a score of 7-6,
7-6. On the other hand, Raducanu, who also returned to the court earlier this
year after spending a lengthy spell on the sidelines because of an injury
concern, played 31 matches in 2024, where she won 18 and lost 13.