(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Serena Williams reigned over the tennis world not just as a Grand Slam champion, but as the highest-earning female athlete in any sport.
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Naomi Osaka, 22, earned $37.4M last year, the most ever in one year by a female athlete, according to Forbes.
“To those outside the tennis world, Osaka is a relatively fresh face with a great back story,” David Carter, a sports business professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business told Forbes.
Williams shared the top-earning female athlete crown with Russian star Maria Sharapova for some years, despite the fact that Williams, who holds 23 Grand Slam titles is the much more successful athlete.
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Nike is planning an Osaka streetwear line later this year that won’t include tennis apparel.
