Tennis player Naomi Osaka appeared in the “first TV ad” for sports recovery company Hyperice, which aired during "The Match: Champions for Charity" event on Sunday, according to Jeanine Poggi of AD AGE. The 30-second ad, which was produced in house, was set to run “twice in pre-game and once during the first nine holes of the tournament.” Osaka signed with Hyperice last year (ADAGE.com, 5/22).
ALL THE WAY UP: FORBES' Kurt Badenhausen noted Osaka has surpassed Serena Williams "as the highest-paid female athlete in the world." Osaka earned $37.4M over the last 12 months "from prize money and endorsements ... setting an all-time earnings record for a female athlete in a single year." Osaka ranks No. 29 among the 100 highest-paid athletes while Williams, who took in $36M, is No. 33, marking the first time since '16 that "two women have made the ranks of the 100 highest-paid athletes." In addition to Hyperice, Osaka has endorsement deals with 14 companies, including Nike, BodyArmor, Nissan and tennis equipment manufacturer Yonex. Williams had been the highest-paid female athlete "each of the past four years." The last top-earning female athlete outside either Williams or Maria Sharapova was Venus Williams in '03 (FORBES.com, 5/22).
