The post The 22-year-old Japanese tennis player racked up $37 million in earnings in the past year, more than any other female athlete in history. appeared first on Lanka Talents.
]]>Naomi Osaka was only a year old when Serena Williams won her first Grand Slam title in 1999. Nineteen years later, Osaka beat Williams at the U.S. Open final to win her first Grand Slam. It was one of the most controversial matches in Open history, involving three code violations called against Williams. Now the 22-year-old ace has beaten her legendary rival once again, this time for bragging rights as the highest-paid female athlete in the world.
Osaka earned $37.4 million the last 12 months from prize money and endorsements, $1.4 million more than Serena, setting an all-time earnings record for a female athlete in a single year; Maria Sharapova previously held the record with $29.7 million in 2015.
Osaka ranks No. 29 among the 100 highest-paid athletes while Williams is No. 33. It’s the first time since 2016 that two women have made the ranks of the 100 highest-paid athletes, with the full 2020 list set for release next week.
“To those outside the tennis world, Osaka is a relatively fresh face with a great back story,” says David Carter, a sports business professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business. “Combine that with being youthful and bicultural, two attributes that help her resonate with younger, global audiences, and the result is the emergence of a global sports marketing icon.”
The ascension puts an end to a decisive winning streak for Williams, who has been the world’s highest-paid female athlete each of the past four years, with annual pre-tax income ranging from $18 million to $29 million. The 23-time Grand Slam champion has collected almost $300 million during her career from endorsers that have swarmed the 38-year-old star.
Naomi Osaka celebrates her win over Serena Williams at the 2018 U.S. Open, which jump-started her career as the most marketable female athlete on the planet.
GETTY IMAGESOsaka’s rise to the head of the charts was a perfect convergence of several factors. She first proved herself on the court, with back-to-back Grand Slam titles at the 2018 U.S. Open and the 2019 Australian Open. That plus her heritage—a Japanese mother and a Haitian-American father—helped separate her from the pack; at only 20 when she won her Open title, she had a cool factor and an engaging personality.
Osaka’s roots are crucial to her endorsement stardom. She was born in Japan. When she was 3, she and her family moved to the U.S., settling on Long Island and then heading to Florida; her older sister, Mari, also plays on the pro circuit.
She turned pro in 2014, a month before her 16th birthday. She cracked the WTA’s top 40 in 2016 and won her first title in March 2018 at Indian Wells. In the 12 months that followed, she became the first Japanese player to win a Slam, and the first Asian tennis player ever to be ranked No. 1 in the world.
Osaka held dual citizenship growing up but made the wise choice to represent Japan ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, now postponed to 2021. The decision made her an even hotter commodity for Olympic sponsors, like Procter & Gamble, All Nippon Airways and Nissin, which signed endorsement deals with Osaka to use her around marketing for the Games. She is expected to be one of the faces of the Olympics, which had triggered unprecedented levels of excitement among the Japanese public before the coronavirus outbreak.
A Decade Of Highest-Paid Female Athletes
Tennis has been a winning strategy for the highest-paid female athletes. Before Naomi Osaka arrived on the scene, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams were the top-earning women of the decade, holding the top spot for five and four years, respectively.
The last top-earning female athlete outside of Williams and Sharapova was Serena’s sister Venus in 2003. Tennis remains the only route for women to rank alongside the top-paid male sports stars. Sharapova, Li Na, Serena Williams and now Osaka are the only women to rank among the 100 top earners in sports since 2012. The highest-paid female athlete every year since Forbes started tracking the data in 1990 has been a tennis player, with Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis the top earners for most of the 1990s.
Tennis players are walking billboards in the only major global sport where men and women have some level of equality in their paychecks, thanks to similarly sized audiences tuning in to watch tournaments. Prize money at the four Grand Slam events has been even since 2007, although men still earn more at lower-level tourneys.
The demographics of the tennis fan make sponsoring top players attractive for brands. At the U.S. Open last year, attendance skewed in favor of women by a ratio of 56 to 44, a rarity at big-time sporting events; 78% held at least a bachelor’s degree versus 35% for the U.S. overall; the average household income was $216,000. This is a group with significant disposable income, ready to buy apparel, sporting equipment, cars, watches and financial services.
Steering Osaka’s brand is powerhouse tennis agency IMG, which leaned on its history with breakout female tennis stars when Osaka started blowing up, having represented Sharapova and Li. Stuart Duguid is her lead agent at IMG.
The Japanese-American-Haitian tennis ace has only five career titles, but she has made them count with a pair of Grand Slams and the prestigious Indian Wells Open.
GETTY IMAGESThe apparel deal is almost always the biggest endorsement for tennis stars, and Osaka’s timing was perfect there as well as she hit the open market just after winning two Grand Slams. It triggered a free agency bidding war between Nike and Adidas—her previous apparel sponsor. The Swoosh emerged on top and paid her more than $10 million last year in an agreement that runs through 2025.
Osaka secured an extremely rare but lucrative provision in her Nike contract. The sportswear giant always requires its tennis players to be clad in Nike gear from head to toe, without any other logos on their shirts or hats. This is lucrative real estate for marketers because cameras focus closely on the player as they serve or get set to return serve.
Nike never made an exemption for Williams, Sharapova, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi or any of the other marketable tennis stars in its stable. The only exception until last year was China’s Li; Osaka became the second, thanks to massive leverage with Sharapova headed for retirement and Williams turning 39 this year. Her “patch” deals are with All Nippon Airways, MasterCard and ramen noodle maker Nissin Foods.
Nike plans to launch an Osaka streetwear line in Japan in the fourth quarter, featuring hoodies, leggings and shirts, as well as a new collection each season. There will not be any tennis apparel.
Osaka now has 15 endorsement partners, including global brands like Nissan Motor, Shiseido and Yonex, whose tennis racquets she has used for more than a decade; almost all are worth seven figures annually.
Sharapova was 17 when she defeated Williams to win the 2004 Wimbledon crown. IMG quickly mobilized to lock up lucrative long-term deals for the Russian, who ranked as the highest-paid female athlete for 11 years before injuries and a suspension for taking a banned substance dented her earnings.
IMG got an education on marketing a female Asian tennis star with China’s Li. She became the first Grand Slam singles champion from Asia, man or woman, when she captured the 2011 French Open at age 29. IMG quickly secured seven multimillion-dollar deals, pushing her off-court earnings from $2 million to $20 million. She challenged Sharapova as the sport’s top earner until her retirement in 2014.
IMG used its expertise in Japan with Kei Nishikori, who has never won a Grand Slam but is the most successful Japanese male player ever, resulting in an endorsement portfolio worth $30 million a year.
Influential tennis agency IMG helped turn Maria Sharapova into a global brand after she captured Wimbledon at 17 years old.
GETTY IMAGES
Sharapova, Li and Nishikori paved the way for Osaka’s marketing breakthrough. “We were fortunate to have a very sophisticated office in Tokyo that already had the experience with Kei,” IMG’s head of tennis Max Eisenbud told Forbes last year. “The relationships in that region are important.”
With plenty of endorsement cash, Osaka partnered with several brands last year, with significant equity components, including emerging sports drink BodyArmor and Hyperice, which makes recovery and movement products.
BodyArmor marketing exec Mike Fedele says Osaka was one of the inspirations for its “Only You” ad campaign launched this week. “Naomi is fiercely dedicated to perfecting her game on the court and a huge part of that is what she does off the court with her training, nutrition and hydration,” he says.
“I’m really interested in seeing a young business grow and adding value to that process,” Osaka told Forbes last year. “I tasked my team with finding brands that align with my personality and my interests.”
Brands are lining up to get into the Naomi Osaka business.
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]]>The post Jaffna Stallions emerge champions of LPL 2020 appeared first on Lanka Talents.
]]>After winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Jaffna Stallions openers Avishka Fernando and Johnson Charles created a stable platform for them to build on.
Later, a 69 run partnership between Shoaib Malik and Dhananjaya De Silva coupled with a cameo from skipper Thisara Perera fired the Stallions to a competitive score of 188 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.
Chasing a mammoth target of 189 runs for victory, the Gladiators’ innings got off to a disastrous start when they lost 3 wickets for a mere 7 runs.
A valiant effort by the Gladiators’ skipper Bhanuka Rajapaksa was insufficient to guide his team to LPL glory after he was dismissed for a 17-ball 40.
The Gladiators eventually sunk to a score of 135/9 and the Stallions claimed victory by 53 runs.
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]]>The post Qatar wins bid to host Asian Games 2030 appeared first on Lanka Talents.
]]>Doha’s win was met with celebration at the Olympic Council of Asia meeting that was held in the Omani capital Muscat.
Qatar pipped Saudi Arabia in the bidding process, which has never hosted the games.
Doha hosted the Asian Games in 2006, while the 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar.
The two Gulf states, along with the UAE, have both competed to become regional sporting hubs.
The next Asian Games editions will be held in 2022 in Hangzhou, China, and in 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia and Qatar are expected to bury the hatchet after a three-year dispute that has seen Riyadh and its regional allies impose an illegal blockade on Qatar.
Recent reports suggest the GCC member states are all in agreement to end the Gulf crisis, with a positive result expected ahead of the summit in January.
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]]>The post Gunathilake can be next Sangakkara – Afridi appeared first on Lanka Talents.
]]>Danushka Gunathilaka smashed an unbeaten 94 runs from 66 balls including 12 fours & 4 sixes while chasing 127 runs against Kandy Tuskers today.
Galle Gladiators achieved the target with 3 overs to spare with only losing 1 wicket securing the final semi final spot of Lanka Premier League eliminating Kandy Tuskers.
Galle’s hero Danushka Gunathilake had a remarkable season with the bat with scoring over 450 runs with 4 half centuries in 8 games.
Galle Gladiators regular skipper Shahid Afridi who left the tournament midway due to personal reasons had a lot of praise to his opening batsman.
“Brilliant performance by Gunathilaka 👏 Congratulations to my team Galle for reaching the semi-finals. Gunathilaka can be the next Sangakkara for SL, a great talent indeed.” he tweeted.
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]]>The post Qatar World Cup venue to open with 50% COVID-recovered fans appeared first on Lanka Talents.
]]>Al-Rayyan, Qatar: Qatar will launch its latest completed World Cup stadium with a domestic fixture at which half of tickets will be reserved for fans who have recovered from coronavirus, the country’s FA said Monday.
The Al-Rayyan Venue, the third new stadium to be completed ahead of 2022, will host the domestic Amir Cup final on December 18 and will welcome around half of its 40,000 capacity.
“Anyone who enters the stadium must return either a negative Covid-19 test or a positive Covid-19 antibodies test,” Abdul Wahab al-Musleh, Qatar’s deputy chief medical officer, said in a statement issued by the QFA.
“About 50 percent of the available seats will be allocated to people who have previously contracted the virus.”
Fans will be required to undergo tests at one of three locations where their ticket application will be linked to their national identity cards and phone number.
Fans will then be eligible for a non-transferable ticket once they receive the required test result.
Once inside, fans will be required to wear a mask, show their contact tracing app, and stay in their allocated seat.
“This is the first time Qatar has hosted a match on this scale under such exceptional circumstances,” added Musleh.
Qatar has slowly been welcoming fans back to stadiums, permitting attendances of up to 30 percent in the top-flight Qatar Stars League.
The Amir Cup final will see favourites Al-Sadd, coached by Spain legend Xavi Hernandez, take on minnows Al-Arabi.
Al-Rayyan, located 24 kilometres (15 miles) west of the capital Doha, will host seven matches during Qatar 2022 up to and including the round of 16 stage.
Its glowing facade will feature patterns suggestive of Qatari themes including the importance of family, the desert, and local flora and fauna.
Qatar has so far inaugurated new-build Al-Janoub and Education City stadiums alongside the refurbished Khalifa ground.
After Al-Rayyan opens, only Lusail, Al-Bayt, Ras Abu Aboud and Thumama stadiums remain to be opened.
World Cup 2022 chief executive Nasser al-Khater said recently that all of the stadiums should be complete by the end of 2021 or beginning of 2022.
Qatar last week marked 10 years since it was named host of the 2022 tournament.
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]]>The post Maradona’s body to lie in state at presidential palace in Buenos Aires appeared first on Lanka Talents.
]]>Buenos Aires: The body of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, who died Wednesday, will lie in state at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires during three days of national mourning, the presidency announced.
Maradona would lie in state at the Casa Rosada palace so the public could pay homage to the sporting hero “from Thursday until Saturday,” presidency spokesman Mario Huck said.
Maradona’s remains will undergo an autopsy later Wednesday “to establish the cause of death,” public prosecutor John Broyard said.
“The autopsy will be performed to establish the cause of death, which has only natural characteristics,” the prosecutor told reporters outside the house where the football idol died earlier in the day.
Broyard said he died “at 12 noon”.
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]]>The post Christophe Dominici: French rugby legend dies aged 48 appeared first on Lanka Talents.
]]>Tributes have been paid to “immense” former France rugby union international Christophe Dominici, who has died aged 48.
Dominici was best known for helping France knock New Zealand out of the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
A witness saw him climb the roof of a disused building at Saint-Cloud park, near Paris, on Tuesday before falling, officials say.
Prosecutors have opened an inquiry into the cause of his death.
“So much sadness. Christophe Dominici was an immense player, an artist. His sudden death is a shock,” said sports minister Roxana Maracineanu.
Dominici played 67 times for his country and won the French championship five times with Stade Français before retiring in 2008. In recent years he had worked as a pundit for French radio and TV.
His 1999 World Cup semi-final performance spurred France to a sensational comeback, as he darted down the left of the pitch and seized the ball ahead of two New Zealand defenders to score a try. The All Blacks were leading the game at the time and had the brilliant Jonah Lomu in their line-up.
Known as Domi, he was 1.72m (5ft 6in) tall and earned a reputation for weaving runs that could change the course of a match. He played in four Six Nations-winning teams, including two Grand Slams.
His death has stunned the world of rugby. France’s rugby federation said the national sport was “in mourning after the tragic death of our wing Christophe Dominici”.
It added: “We’re particularly thinking of his family and loved ones.”
A similar message came from the other big rugby union nations. The Welsh Rugby Union said: “Adieu, Christophe Dominici… what a player.”
Former Stade Français president Max Guazzini, who was close to Dominici, told French radio he was deeply upset by the news. “I always told the others he was my favourite player,” he said.
Ex-team-mate Vincent Clerc said: “I came up against him in the past and it was tough. You felt he had this passion to win.”
Former Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll described “a French player full of flair with huge success throughout his career”.
Earlier this year, Dominici was heavily involved in a bid by a consortium from the United Arab Emirates to take over the financially troubled Béziers rugby club in the south of France.
The bid was halted by the sport’s financial regulator and Dominici was said by friends to have taken the failure very badly.
In a 2009 Le Monde interview, he said: “[Rugby] let me understand many things – respect for life, people and oneself, along with the values of humility and combat. I was aggressive and put that to collective use. Now I have far more wisdom and maturity.”
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]]>The post Lewis Hamilton wins seventh Formula 1 title – equalling Michael Schumacher appeared first on Lanka Talents.
]]>Lewis Hamilton clinched a seventh World Championship and became the most successful racing driver ever with a masterful victory in the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Mercedes driver equalled Michael Schumacher’s achievement in terms of titles, after already surpassing the German’s number of race wins last month.
Victory at a treacherously wet and slippery Istanbul Park track in a topsy-turvy race was the 94th of the 35-year-old Briton’s career.
As he received the congratulations of his team, Hamilton was almost overcome with emotion in the car after the race, saying: “To all the kids out there, dream the impossible.
How Hamilton won it in style
It was a drive befitting the monumental nature of Hamilton’s achievement.
Hamilton trod carefully in the opening stages of the race and even made a couple of small mistakes as the drivers fought for grip in the wet conditions.
But the race opened up for him at around half-distance as he once again made decisive strategy calls on tyres from the cockpit and drove with the skill and class that has enabled him to put himself in this position.
The Racing Points of Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez dominated the opening stages, but began to be caught by a train of three cars, with Sebastian Vettel at its back, as the track slowly dried.
Red Bull’s Alex Albon was running third, ahead of Vettel’s Ferrari and Hamilton.
Ferrari pitted Vettel for fresh tyres on lap 33, having seen how quickly team-mate Charles Leclerc was going on his fresh intermediates, and then Albon spun at Turn Four.
That gave Hamilton a clean run to attack the Racing Points and he told his team: “Don’t box [pit] me, man.”
Despite Stroll saying he did not want to change tyres, Racing Point did pit the Canadian on lap 36, removing him from the lead and, shortly afterwards, Hamilton took the lead from Perez and never looked back.
Hamilton and Perez stayed out on worn tyres, as the Mercedes driver pulled away in the lead, his only concern being whether his worn intermediate tyres would last.
And it was put into stark perspective by his team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
The Finn went into the race knowing he had to out-score Hamilton by at least eight points to keep the championship alive. But he had a dreadful day, spinning at least five times and finishing 14th, lapped by Hamilton.
When told there were four laps left late in the race, a downcast Bottas said: “I wish it was less.”
What happened to Stroll?
It was a heartbreaking day for Stroll, who led for the first 36 laps only to see his race unravel after he made his stop for fresh tyres.
But while the Canadian could not make the new tyres work on his car, and slumped to ninth at the end, a second pit stop mid-race worked well for both Ferrari drivers.
Perez hung on to second. He was passed by Leclerc on the final lap, only for the Monegasque to slide wide at the final chicane, allowing team-mate Vettel through into the final podium position, his first of the season.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen pushed Perez hard early on, but a spin at the kink on the back straight ended his hopes.
Driver of the day
Who else? Hamilton was in a class of his own, cautious when necessary, reading the race and pouncing when it mattered – before taking control. Driver of his generation.
What happens next?
Hamilton has clinched the title with three races still to go, two in Bahrain starting in two weeks’ time and then a finale in Abu Dhabi in mid-December.
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]]>The post Scotland’s agonising 23-year absence from major men’s tournaments is finally over after an historic shootout victory over Serbia. appeared first on Lanka Talents.
]]>David Marshall saved magnificently from Aleksandar Mitrovic for a 5-4 sudden-death win after Scotland had dominated, led until the 90th minute, then hung on for penalties in Belgrade.
Ryan Christie’s second-half opener had Steve Clarke’s side tantalisingly close to a Euro 2020 place but Luka Jovic netted amid a late Serbian rally to force extra time.
However, a tiring Scotland were impeccable from the spot as they ended a barren streak of 10 missed tournaments.
Clarke’s men are now nine games unbeaten – their best run in 44 years – and will face England, Croatia and the Czech Republic in Group D at next summer’s delayed finals.
- Scots win ‘for whole nation’ – Christie
- Scotland qualify – what happens now?
- Line of Duty, Trainspotting & celebrating Sturgeon
If there was a Scotland way to finally get back to the big time, then this was it. Not content with putting the nation through the trauma of a shootout in the semi-final against Israel, they repeated the dose.
Gut-wrenching does not come close to describing it.
Yet while a nation’s nerves were fraying back home, Scotland’s players exuded a calm authority. They were comfortable in possession for an hour, zipping passes around, and harrying the visitors.
Lyndon Dykes was putting in a gruelling shift, winning countless aerial duels and making the ball stick. He was just one of the heroes in blue all over the pitch.
On an occasion demanding a big performance, every Scotland player delivered.
There were flashes of first-half threat from Scotland, the best when a Dykes knockdown led to John McGinn breaking free down the left-hand channel. The midfielder’s shot needed power and precision but lacked both as Predrag Rajkovic smothered at the second attempt.
Serbia – for all their talent – looked uneasy and had barely a sniff. When they did muster a chance midway through the opening half, it almost yielded the opener, with Sasa Lukic’s drive from a Mitrovic lay-off whistling inches wide.
It was an isolated scare, though, and the interval did nothing to halt Scotland’s momentum. They should have led early in the second half when Dykes danced past three defenders and squared for the in-rushing Andy Robertson to blaze over.
A big chance gone. But within moments the disappointment made way for euphoria. Callum McGregor pounced on a stray pass out of Serbia’s defence and shuttled the ball to his Celtic team-mate. Christie’s nifty footwork opened up the space for a shot and he arrowed in off the base of the post.
Scotland were in dreamland. Serbia had been pretty abject so far – surely there was an onslaught to come? The nagging doubt that it could all go horribly wrong kept gnawing away at fans ingrained in glorious failure.
Clarke’s men could have put the tie to bed – a McGregor strike drifted wide and Christie was agonisingly close with a curling effort.
But Serbia began to hammer at the door in the frantic closing stages. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Mitrovic and Jovic all thundered headers narrowly past Marshall’s right-hand upright.
By now it was an excruciating watch. And – in true Scotland fashion – the sucker-punch arrived. Serbia slung over a corner and Jovic had lost his marker to send a header down into the turf and up over Marshall into the top corner.
- Podcast: All the reaction to an epic game
- Reaction & as it happened
- Can you name the men Clarke has emulated?
Clarke’s men were crestfallen, but not out for the count. Extra time was arduous with Serbia on top as Nemanja Gudelj’s dipping drive brought out a brilliant diving save from Marshall and Aleksandar Katai had pot-shots either side of the interval.
The Tartan Army’s fingernails were nibbled nearer the quick but their heroes were not to be denied. Scotland staggered towards the shootout, clearly exhausted. One final push was required and Leigh Griffiths, McGregor, Scott McTominay, Oli McBurnie and Kenny McLean all delivered from the spot.
Then Marshall flung himself to his left to palm away Mitrovic’s effort. Cue bedlam in the Scotland ranks as two decades of frustration poured out. Scotland are back.
Man of the match – Lyndon Dykes
What did we learn?
This can be the start of something special for a Scotland squad who have the mentality to match their talent. The devastating blow of conceding a last-minute equaliser would have broken lesser men.
Yet Clarke’s players dug in with a sheer bloody-minded refusal to be beaten, then showed nerves of steel – and no little skill – in the shootout.
Goal hero Christie’s tearful and poignant post-match interview captured the mood of a nation. He and his team-mates have delivered where so many before them failed.
Match stats
- Scotland’s men have reached a major tournament for the first time since the 1998 World Cup and their first European Championship since 1996.
- Christie’s goal was Scotland’s first against Serbia, in their third meeting.
- Christie has scored four in his past five games for Scotland, having failed to net in his previous nine.
- Scotland are unbeaten in nine consecutive games (W6 D3). They last enjoyed a longer run without defeat in February 1930 (11 games).
- Serbia have now failed to qualify for the Euros in each of their four attempts since first competing as an independent country in 2006.
What did they say?
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke: “It’s been a very difficult time for everyone. We spoke about trying to make the nation smile, hopefully we’ve done our bit.
“Every player turned up and not just the ones that started, I’m also talking about the players from the bench and the whole squad.”
What’s next?
Scotland will have to peel themselves off the ceiling for a double-header to end their Nations League campaign away to Slovakia (14:00 GMT) on Sunday and Israel (19:45) on Wednesday.
- Possession
- 58%
- 42%
- Shots
- 15
- 10
- Shots on Target
- 4
- 4
- Corners
- 9
- 4
- Fouls
- 10
- 15
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