The world’s nine highest-earning sportswomen over the past year are all tennis players, according to research by US business magazine Forbes.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka tops the list with earnings of $37.4m (£26.3m), ahead of Serena Williams with $36m (£27.2m).
World number one Ashleigh Barty is third with income of $13.1m (£9.9m).
United States international footballer Alex Morgan is the only athlete from outside tennis in the top 10, earning $4.6m (£3.5m).
Morgan, who gave birth to her first child in May, earned $4.2m (£3.2m) of her income through endorsements during the span of Forbes analysis – between 1 June 2019 and 1 June 2020.
The US women’s team, winners of the Women’s World Cup in July 2019, are currently in dispute with their federation, appealing against a judge’s decision to reject their claims of being underpaid compared with the US men’s team.
Osaka and Williams have both broken the previous record for annual earnings, set at $29.7m (£22.3m) in 2015 by Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova.
In a list of the world’s 100 best-paid sportspeople published by Forbes in May, Osaka (29th) and Williams (33rd) were the only women.
| Top 10 highest-earning sportswomen* | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Sport | Earnings |
| 1 | Naomi Osaka | Tennis | $37.4m (£26.3m) |
| 2 | Serena Williams | Tennis | $36m (£27.2m) |
| 3 | Ashleigh Barty | Tennis | $13.1m (£9.9m) |
| 4 | Simona Halep | Tennis | $10.9m (£8.2m) |
| 5 | Bianca Andreescu | Tennis | $8.9m (£6.7m) |
| 6 | Garbine Muguruza | Tennis | $6.6m (£5m) |
| 7 | Elina Svitolina | Tennis | $6.4m (£4.8m) |
| 8 | Sofia Kenin | Tennis | $5.8m (£4.4m) |
| 9 | Angelique Kerber | Tennis | $5.3m (£4m) |
| 10 | Alex Morgan | Football | $4.6m (£3.5m) |
| *Between June 2019 and June 2020, according to Forbes |
source: BBC sports/Tennis
