Interestingly enough, the half-Haitian, half-Japanese tennis star, Naomi Osaka, represents Japan even though she lives in the United States. Talk about multiculturalism! Thanks to both her friendly personality and her exceptional talent on the courts, Osaka is thought to be one of the most marketable female athletes in the world.
She has all the reasons in the world to become a total diva but she is surprisingly shy and down to earth. Osaka won the US Open in 2018, the Australian Open in 2019, and the US Open in 2020. In 2020, she was listed as the highest-paid female athlete.
Elena Dementieva
Elena Dementieva is considered to be one of the best female tennis players out there and, though she may not have won a major tournament, she has still found success elsewhere. Dementieva won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic games for the women’s singles competition and earned the attention that led to endorsement deals.
The gorgeous player even has a song about her. Blue Dog and Sponge Cake, a comedic band from Colorado, wrote a song about Dementieva and Maria Sharapova, and her signature grunt was used in a Lil' Wayne song. So other than being an athlete, she is also a muse!
Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix has made a name for herself as the only female track and field star to have six gold medals. Since running by itself is not known to be incredibly lucrative, Felix has been fortunate enough to land quite a few endorsement deals, which have earned her a hefty net worth of more than $4 million.
Felix is married to Kenneth Ferguson. The couple welcomed a daughter in 2018. In 2020, the sprinter was included in "Time" magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020. The following year, the Olympian was even invited to the Met Gala for the first time!
Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner has become one of the greatest and most recognized players in the WNBA. After coming out to her parents in high school, Griner was forced to live with an assistant coach for six weeks during her senior year. She would later pen a memoir in which she addresses bullying and self-acceptance, "In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court," which was published in 2014.
Griner's endorsement deal with Nike marked the first time the company had signed such a deal with an openly gay athlete. She continues to push boundaries on and off the court, gracefully but with pride.
Abby Wambach
Abby Wambach is certainly one of the most famous female soccer players in the world. While building her legacy on the field, she also brings home a fine salary, which is primarily from endorsements. She has been scoring goals and breaking glass ceilings since her youth and was even moved from the girls league to the boys league.
Wambach also made fans proud when she became the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year, as this was the first time in ten years that an American had won. This woman also inspires others by owning her queer identity and advocating for equality and acceptance of people of all colors of the rainbow in sports.