Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka's worldwide influence has been recognized by SportsPro, which named them among its Top 10 most marketable athletes.
SportsPro, a UK-based media company, creates its list of the most marketable athletes using three metrics: brand strength, audience and reach, and economics. Several tennis players are featured on its list of 50.
Williams's high ranking is not surprising. The 23-time Grand Slam champion is one of the most legendary tennis players ever, and she also bid an emotional farewell to the sport at this year's US Open.
She is No. 2 on the list to Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese footballer's score of 50/50 for audience and reach was the most significant reason for his being No. 1 on the list. No other athlete in the Top 50 scored more than 30 on that metric.
Williams scored 16.85/20 for brand strength, 27.12/50 for audience and reach, and 24.02 for economics, for a total of 67.99. Lewis Hamilton, at No. 3 with 64.58, was the American's closest challenger.
Osaka is ranked No. 6 with 51.62. Her results have dipped this season, but she remains a marketable player. The Japanese star is also kind-hearted, as demonstrated by her helping Daria Saville when she sustained an injury.
Emma Raducanu is the third-highest ranked tennis player at No. 12. Some might wonder if there is some bias since the company is British, but SportsPro's metrics have ranked last year's US Open ahead of some huge names in the sport.
Rafael Nadal is the highest-ranked ATP player. The Spaniard is No. 16, seven places above Roger Federer at No. 23 and far ahead of Novak Djokovic at No. 46. Federer has often been seen as tennis' biggest star, and his ranking below Nadal might surprise some.
Garbine Mugruza, at No. 30, and Bianca Andreescu, at No. 32, are the other players who made it into SportsPro's Top 50.
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