By: Vidhi Doshi
Image Credit: Louis Vuitton
Japanese tennis pro Naomi Osaka is the first Asian woman to top the WTA's singles rankings. Osaka has four grand slam titles, two Australian Open titles, and two US Open singles titles.
Osaka is one of the top-tier athletes in terms of her commercial appeal. She made about $16 million from endorsements in 2019 after Serena Williams, who made $25 million.
Osaka became a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton and Tag Heuer in 2021. She endorsed Airbnb, Sweetgreen, GoDaddy, Levi's, PlayStation, Mastercard, Panasonic, FTX, and Beats Electronics. Osaka's sponsorship portfolio may earn $60 million annually.
However, the Japanese tennis star is no longer the highest-paid female athlete.
Alex Morgan, professional soccer player for the US national team and the San Diego Wave FC of the NWSL, the top league of women's soccer in the US, has more endorsement deals than Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.
In 2021, she was the only NWSL player to sign 27 endorsement deals. Morgan has surpassed Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka in total endorsement value in 2021. Coca-Cola, Google, Chipotle, Michelob Ultra, and AT&T sponsor her.
"While women's sports have long faced a range of inequities in the industry, their potential to win over audiences and produce an incredibly high degree of engagement for sponsors is evident," said Sponsors United CEO Bob Lynch.
This has definitely been beneficial for Morgan, as she is all set to become one of the athletes with the highest net worth, but will Osaka take over? Only time will tell.