Emma Raducanu despite on-court struggle earns more than Sabalenka and Rybakina combined in 2024 Highest Paid Female Athletes

Britain’s Emma Raducanu and Japan’s Naomi Osaka continue to earn big despite their below-par performances in recent years. The two are featured in the world's top 15 list of highest-paid woman athletes. Interestingly, nine of the athletes featured in that list are tennis players.

America’s Coco Gauff is top on the list with $30.4 million. Japan’s Osaka and Britain’s Raducanu are placed on the sixth and seventh on the list. Both players did not win a single competition in 2024 and did not even manage to play in the final of any WTA event. Despite that, they remain a big attraction for the top brands.

Osaka ended up earning $15 million in 2024. Out of that, she only managed to earn $870,000 in prize money. Despite that, she has been endorsed by a number of brands such as Nike, Panasonic, Beats, Tag Heuer, Louis Vuitton, Mastercard and Nissan. Reportedly, Osaka’s deal with Nike earns her $10 million a year.

On the other hand, Raducanu reportedly earned about $14.7 million in 2024 out of which only $671,000 came from the prize money. She has been sponsored by big brands such as Nike, HSBC, British Airways Vodafone and Porsche. Reportedly, her deal with Nike earns her $1.5 million a year whereas her deal with Vodafone earns her a $4 million per year.

This in turn means that she earned more than Aryna Sabalenka ($8m) and Elena Rybakina ($8m) combined despite a poor year on the court.

Osaka, who returned to the court earlier this year after spending more than 12 months on the sidelines, played 37 matches in 2024 on the court, where she won 20 and lost on 17 occasions. Her best appearance came in the WTA 1000 event Qatar Open in Doha, where she was knocked out after losing in the quarterfinal to Karolina Pliskova in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6. On the other hand, Raducanu, who also returned to the court earlier this year after spending a lengthy spell on the sidelines because of an injury concern, played 31 matches in 2024, where she won 18 and lost 13.