Naomi Osaka, Serena Top As Tennis Players Dominate Forbes List

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, ahead of Serena Williams with $36m.

World number one Ashleigh Barty is third with an income of $13.1m.

United States international footballer Alex Morgan is the only athlete from outside tennis in the top 10, earning $4.6m.

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.