French Open: Naomi Osaka tops $55.2 million in earning last year heading into Roland Garros

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka during a training session in Roland Garros ahead of French Open 2021. (Source: Twitter)

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka’s last 12 months have constituted one of the most memorable years ever by an athlete across any sport in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic around the globe. She added two more Grand Slam titles to her resume but received even more attention for raising awareness around police shootings with her actions, when she pulled out of an event in Cincinnati and then wore masks in New York highlighting the names of seven black victims of police shootings.

Osaka recorded over $55.2 million in earnings over the last 12 months, with $5.2 million from prize money and an estimated $50 million off the court. Osaka lands at No. 15 in Sportico’s ranking of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes.

Osaka has partnered with two dozen brands that range from HR software (Workday) to watches (Tag Heuer). Her marketing appeal covers denim (Levi’s) to high fashion (Louis Vuitton). Osaka has deals worth eight figures annually (Nike) and ones with heavy equity components (Hyperice and BodyArmor). This month, fast-casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen revealed Osaka as its first athlete ambassador — she is also an investor in the company.

Her multi-nationality—born to a Japanese mother and Haitian-American father—has been a driving factor in companies flocking to Osaka, with a half-dozen sponsors based in Japan. The Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for 2020 and now set to kick off July 23, added another layer to her marketing mojo. ANA, Google and Nissin are both Osaka partners and official Olympic supporters.

Her $50 million earnings is topped only by three active sportsperson in their endorsements – Roger Federer, LeBron James and Tiger Woods. Osaka’s tally matches football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who counts 289 million Instagram followers.

Citing mental health concerns, Osaka won’t do press at French Open

Osaka on Wednesday (May 26) said she will not take questions from the press at this year`s French Open, saying the nature of news conferences puts an undue burden on players' mental health.

“I’m writing this to say I’m not going to do any press during Roland Garros,” the Japanese player wrote on Twitter. “I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes mental health and this rings true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one.

pic.twitter.com/EegFSKnoie — NaomiOsakaDa Ban naomi (@naomiosaka) May 26, 2021

“We’re often sat there and asked questions that we’ve been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I`m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me.”

Expecting players to answer questions after losses amounted to “kicking a person while they’re down,” Osaka added.

The world number two said the decision was ‘nothing personal’ against the tournament or a couple of journalists she said she has a friendly relationship with and that she hoped tournaments would reconsider their approach.

Many tennis tournaments require players to speak to the media after each match or pay a fine. American Christian Harrison was fined $3,000 by the ATP after refusing to take part in a mandatory on-court interview at the Delray Beach Open in January amid a dispute over mask wearing.

Osaka said she hoped the ‘considerable amount’ that she expects to be fined will go towards a mental health charity. She later tweeted a video of former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch famously repeating the line “I’m just here so I won’t get fined,” at a pre-Super Bowl press conference in 2015.

Osaka has in the past used her platform and considerable press attention to highlight issues of police violence and racial inequality.

(with Reuters inputs)