Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams lead ranking of highest-paid female athletes

Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams continue to dominate off the court.

Despite having only nine on-court WTA match wins combined since February, the tennis stars are the two highest-paid female athletes, respectively. Osaka tops Sportico’s list with $55.2 million in earnings, while Williams comes in second at $35.5 million.

According to Sportico’s estimates, 90 percent of their totals were earned off the court from endorsements.

Osaka ($55.2 million) and Williams ($35.5 million) headline the world’s highest-paid female athletes, with more than 90% of their totals earned off the court from endorsement partners.

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— Sportico (@Sportico) August 24, 2021

Simone Biles ranks as the third highest-paid female athlete at $6 million, a significant drop-off from Osaka and Williams. However, according to SportsPro, Biles is the most marketable athlete in the world and Osaka is second.

Jin Young Ko and Sei Young Kim, both golfers on the LPGA tour, rank fourth and fifth on Sportico’s list.

Last year, 90 percent of the highest-paid female athletes were tennis players. But due to a drop-off in revenue and canceled tennis events during the COVID-19 pandemic, only 30 percent of the athletes on the current list are tennis players.

Soccer stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe made their way onto the ranking, while Mikaela Shiffrin represents as the sole winter sport athlete.