A tennis player once again topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes, with Iga Swiatek taking over the top spot.

She becomes just the fourth athlete to top the list after Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova. Both Williams and Osaka had maintained a hold on the list in recent years, with Osaka taking the top spot in 2022. But Williams has retired and Osaka sat out the 2023 season to have her first child, leaving the top spot for Swiatek.

The 22-year-old Polish tennis player brought in an estimated $23.9 million in 2023, which included $9.9 million in on-court earnings after winning the women’s singles title at the French Open. She also added four new endorsement deals.

Twelve of the 20 highest-paid women athletes play tennis, as well as nine of the top 10. Eileen Gu, who came in second on the list, is the only non-tennis player to feature inside the top 10. She made $22.1 million in 2023, with the majority of her earnings coming from endorsements.

Coco Gauff, who won the 2023 US Open, placed third on the list with an estimated $21.7 million in earnings.

Even despite her break, Osaka still sits at fifth on the list having brought in $15 million in endorsements. She’s set to make her return to competitive tennis in the new year, which will include an appearance at the Australian Open.

Combined, the top 20 earners made roughly $226 million in 2023. It’s a drop from the $258 million made in 2022, but the retirement of Williams, who made $41.3 million last year, played a large part in the decrease. Still, the median for the top 20 earners increased from last year to $8.5 million (up from $7.3 million), and eight athletes surpassed $10 million. That number matches last year’s total – which set a record – and is double the number from 2021.

Other athletes inside the top 20 include golfer Nelly Korda, U.S. women’s national soccer players Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, gymnast Simone Biles and WNBA star Candace Parker.

After taking a prolonged hiatus from tennis beginning in 2022, Naomi Osaka has announced that she plans to return to the court in 2024. And she’s bringing other passions with her.

In May 2021, Osaka withdrew from the French Open after becoming the highest paid woman athlete in the world just one year prior. The tennis star cited her absence as a time to work on her mental health — Osaka wrote that she experienced “long bouts of depression” on social media. 

“I know where I come from, and I’m so grateful to be here and to be doing the things that I’m doing,” Osaka said. “But for some reason, I just still felt kind of down in the past years of my life.”

Osaka’s most recent tennis match came in September 2022 at the Pan Pacific Open in Japan. Now, 15 months and one childbirth later, she’s announced her plan to return to the tennis court. And along the way, she’s advocating for the destigmatization of mental health and for more paid leave — and more compassion in general — for new mothers. 

“I’m fortunate to have the support to go back to work on my own terms, in my own time,” Osaka told InStyle. “So many American parents don’t have that choice, but we all deserve it. It has definitely motivated me to speak up about the lack of paid leave and to advocate for new moms in this country.”

Osaka told InStyle about her other aspirations beyond her tennis and her mental health advocacy, including fashion and storytelling. She attends basketball games in fashionable outfits and sheds light on unseen struggles on her mental health video series, “Can’t Wait to Hear From You,” started by her media company, Hana Kuma. 

But she made one thing clear — when she returns to the court, she intends to play like a champion every time. Osaka’s coach, Wim Fissette, best summed up her mindset for her reemergence into the world of tennis. 

“It’s not about coming back,” Fissette said. “She really wants to see how good she can possibly be.”

Alex Morgan is the most marketable athlete in women’s sports in 2023.

The U.S. women’s national team star also stands as the third-most marketable athlete in the world behind Lionel Messi and LeBron James, according to SportsPro’s new ranking, which assesses athletes’ personal brand and reach.

Fellow USWNT forward Megan Rapinoe (No. 5) joins Morgan in the top five. Skier Mikaela Shiffrin (No. 6) and gymnast Simone Biles (No. 8) also rank in the top 10. From the world of tennis, newly-minted US Open champion Coco Gauff sits at No. 12 and Naomi Osaka at No. 14.

LSU star Angel Reese (No. 19) is the lone women’s basketball player on the list. She catapulted to stardom after leading the Tigers to their first national title in program history in 2023.

In total, 23 women are included among SportsPro’s top 50 most marketable athletes for 2023. In the World Cup year, Morgan and Rapinoe both jumped up the list, with the former up from eighth place and the latter up from 27th.

Serena Williams, who has since retired, dropped off the list, while Osaka and Australian soccer star Sam Kerr dropped out of the top 10.

This year’s list “underlines the growing commercial influence and value of women’s sport,” according to SportsPro. For the first time, qualitative research was included with quantitative marketability measurements to help determine the final rankings.

“This year’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes list follows the most comprehensive assessment of athlete marketability we’ve ever undertaken in the 14-year history of SportsPro’s annual ranking,” said Michael Long, editorial director at SportsPro.

Naomi Osaka is planning to stay busy in 2024.

The four-time Grand Slam champion gave birth to her first child, daughter Shai, in July. While she has not played in 2023, she plans to make her comeback next year — and when she does, she wants to up her game.

Osaka, 25, aims to make her return at the Australian Open, she told ESPN on Wednesday. And from there, she will be playing in “way more tournaments than I used to play.”

“I think some people will be happy with that,” she said, noting that she trained as much as she could during pregnancy, including hitting with Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf.

“I think it’s because I realized that I don’t know how the beginning of the year is going to go for me. I don’t know the level of play and I think I have to ease into it. So at the very least, I’m going to set myself up for a very good end of the year.”

The former world No. 1 has won the Australian Open twice, including her most recent major title in 2021. Osaka said that her pregnancy, which she announced at the beginning of this year, helped her realize that she “definitely” missed competing.

“I’ve been watching matches and I’m like, ‘I wish I was playing too,’” Osaka said. “But I’m in this position now and I’m very grateful. I really love my daughter a lot, but I think it really fueled a fire in me.”

Naomi Osaka is officially a mom.

The tennis star welcomed a baby girl with boyfriend Cordae in Los Angeles, People magazine reported. Osaka and her daughter are both “doing well,” a source told the magazine.

Osaka announced her pregnancy in January, ahead of the Australian Open.

“The past few years have been interesting to say the least, but I find that it’s the most challenging times in life that may be the most fun. These few months away from the sport has really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I’ve dedicated my life to,” she wrote.

“I realize that life is so short and I don’t take any moments for granted, every day is a new blessing and adventure. I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom,’ haha,” Osaka continued.

She revealed in June that she was expecting a baby girl with a princess-themed baby shower.

Earlier this year, Osaka shared that she hadn’t had many cravings “out of the ordinary” throughout her pregnancy, and that her and Cordae had been discussing “something more unique than traditional” when it came to a name.

“I would say for me, I just want to be the best version of myself. Obviously, I’ve never been a mother before so I’m taking it day-by-day and just trying to be someone that my son or daughter will be proud of,” she told People.

The four-time Grand Slam champion hit back at critics in May, calling out the double standard that exists for women athletes who have kids. Elina Svitolina, who gave birth last October, is currently on a run at Wimbledon – recently knocking off No. 1 Iga Swiatek to reach the semifinal. Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki just announced her return to tennis after having two children.

“Btw to the people that are suddenly concerned about my career- There are plenty of male athletes with kids that are significantly less accomplished, you might wanna worry about them instead. Thanks for the concern, might wanna redirect it to someone that needs it though,” Osaka tweeted.

Osaka plans to make her competitive return at the 2024 Australian Open.

Naomi Osaka is taking aim at the double standard that exists for female athletes who have kids.

“Btw to the people that are suddenly concerned about my career- There are plenty of male athletes with kids that are significantly less accomplished, you might wanna worry about them instead. Thanks for the concern, might wanna redirect it to someone that needs it though,” the four-time Grand Slam singles champion tweeted on Friday.

In a second tweet, Osaka added: “Not trying to make this a male and female thing but let’s be fr.”

In January, Osaka announced that she is pregnant with her first child. The 25-year-old tennis star is taking the 2023 season off, but said she hopes to make her competitive return at the 2024 Australian Open.

“One thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom’, haha,” Osaka wrote in January.

Naomi Osaka is pregnant with her first child, she revealed Wednesday via social media.

“Can’t wait to get back on the court, but here’s a little life update for 2023,” she wrote, along with a photo of an ultrasound and a note to her fans in English and Japanese.

The 25-year-old tennis star aims to return to the court for the 2024 Australian Open, she said in the note.

The Australian Open last week had announced Osaka’s withdrawal from the 2023 tournament, which starts Monday. Osaka has won the tournament twice, in 2019 and 2021.

The four-time major singles champion last played in September at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Osaka won her first match against Daria Saville, who retired due to injury during the first set, but withdrew ahead of her second-round match due to abdominal pain.

“These few months away from the sport has really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I’ve dedicated my life to,” she wrote Wednesday.

The No. 47 player in the world, Osaka has not advanced past the first round in her last three tournaments, including the U.S. Open in August.

Still, her business ventures are booming. She topped Forbes’ list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world with $51.1 million in earnings in 2022. To start 2023, she signed world No. 2 Ons Jabeur to her sports management agency, Evolve.

“I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future,” Osaka wrote. “One thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch some of my matches and tell someone, ‘That’s my mom.'”

Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open, it was announced on Saturday.

Tournament organizers confirmed her withdrawal in a tweet on Sunday.

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Australian Open champion, has not played in a tournament since September. She withdrew during the second round of a Tokyo tournament after winning her first-round match.

The 25-year-old currently sits at No. 47 in the world and has not advanced past the first round in each of her three previous tournaments, including the US Open.

Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska has been called up to the main draw in her place.

Her absence adds to what is a growing list of leading players to pull out of the tournament. Former finalist Simona Halep will not play while Venus Williams had to pull out with an injury after receiving a wild card.

Ons Jabeur is joining Evolve, the sports management agency founded by Naomi Osaka.

“New year, new beginnings,” Jabeur tweeted along with a photo of the release announcing her signing. The Tunisian star, who reached her first two major finals last year at Wimbledon and the US Open, has also signed with Adel Aref for representation.

“It’s nice to sign with someone who knows my culture,” Jabeur told WTA Insider about signing with Aref, who is also from Tunisia.

“I feel like it’s something that could be great because I don’t have the same profile as Naomi, but also maybe a little bit,” Jabeur continued. “She’s the only one coming from Japan, and I’m the only one coming from the Middle East. I want to explore that and give them a chance to work with Adel.”

Osaka took to social media herself to welcome Jabeur to Evolve. She first met Jabeur in 2015, and she remembers thinking, “She’s the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

“She always came up to me, cracked jokes and made me feel more comfortable,” Osaka continued. “Even now when we play the same tournaments she still does the same.

“That type of kindness is something I’ll never forget and I think moments like that are what define your character. Over the years, watching her rise through the tour and become the star that she is has been incredibly joyful to watch and I can’t wait to see her create more history and ascend even higher.”

Osaka launched Evolve in 2022, with the hope of drawing in athletes who are at the top – or have the potential to be at the top – of their sport. She left IMG in May after her contract expired and became the first female athlete to launch her own agency, Sportico reported at the time.

Naomi Osaka once again tops the list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world, bringing in $51.1 million in 2022, according to Forbes.

She’s followed by Serena Williams, who earned $41.3 million. Eileen Gu, who gained popularity following her performance at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, brought in $20.1 million, which included $20 million in endorsements.

In total, the 25 highest-paid female athletes in the world made roughly $285 million this year before taxes and agents’ fees. The top 10 of those athletes made up for $194 million of that total, a 17 percent increase from 2021.

Eight of the 10 made at least $10 million in 2022 for the first time since Forbes introduced the rankings in 2008. That number also doubled from a year ago.

“I think everybody’s seeing a tremendous amount of momentum with women’s sports and women’s sports sponsorships,” Cameron Wagner, Chief Client Officer of Elevate Sports Ventures, told Forbes. “We’ve made a ton of progress. We have a ton of progress left to be made, but brands are starting to see the value in women’s sports here and today as a driver of their business.”

The year brought increases across women’s sports, including for England’s players following their Euros win. The Athletic recently detailed how their endorsement deals have skyrocketed in the months following the title.

Women’s soccer sponsorships have also increased. FIFA recently released a report detailing how 77 percent of women’s soccer leagues had a title sponsor in 2022, an increase from 66 percent in 2021.

While tennis players still make up the majority of the top 10, golfers have also increased their earnings after the LPGA introduced record tournament purses. That should only increase in the coming year as the tour stands to break records once again with its offerings.

The top 10

  1. Naomi Osaka, Tennis – $51.1 mil
  2. Serena Williams, Tennis – $41.3 mil
  3. Eileen Gu, Freestyle Skiing – $20.1 mil
  4. Emma Raducanu, Tennis – $18.7 mil
  5. Iga Swiatek, Tennis – $14.9 mil
  6. Venus Williams, Tennis – $12.1 mil
  7. Coco Gauff, Tennis – $11.1 mil
  8. Simone Biles, Gymnastics – $10 mil
  9. Jessica Pegula, Tennis – $7.6 mil
  10. Minjee Lee, Golf – $7.3 mil