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Tennis Champion Naomi Osaka’s $8.5M Adidas Deal Biggest Ever for a Woman

Photo by JOHN G MABANGLO/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Naomi Osaka of Japan holds up the championship trophy after defeating Serena Williams of the US in the women's final on the thirteenth day of the US Open Tennis Championships the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 08 September 2018. The US Open runs from 27 August through 09 September.
  • On Sept. 8, Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams to win the U.S. Open.

  • The 20-year-old athlete will reportedly sign an $8.5 million endorsement deal with Adidas.

  • Although the deal is the biggest ever from Adidas to be offered to a female athlete, it’s still less than deals Adidas has made with male athletes.

Fresh off her stunning U.S. Open win, 20-year-old tennis phenom Naomi Osaka is reportedly about to sign an $8.5 million endorsement contract with Adidas, according to SB Nation. Her current contract with the athletic manufacturer expires at the end of this year. The deal is the richest ever offered to a female athlete by Adidas.

Osaka’s deal, although noteworthy, pales in comparison with other contracts major companies have made with some of her competitors, and with those Adidas has made with male athletes.

Click to see the net worth of the world’s richest female athletes.

Soccer star David Beckham has a lifetime contract with Adidas worth $160 million. The company still uses Beckham in its ads even though he retired from professional soccer in 2013.

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Tennis player Roger Federer is the seventh highest-paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes, with 2018 winnings of $12.2 million and endorsements totaling $65 million.

Serena Williams, who Osaka defeated in spectacular and controversial fashion at the Open, has a $40 million contract with Nike as well as numerous other endorsement deals. Williams brought in a total of $18.1 million, including winnings and deals with more than a dozen sponsors in 2018, according to Forbes.

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The final match of this year’s Open garnered considerable attention when Williams was penalized one game for calling an umpire a “thief” after he docked her a point for receiving coaching. She was also fined $4,000 for that violation, as well as $3,000 for racket abuse and $10,000 for verbal abuse. The altercation has led to a wider discussion about sexism in the sport.

Tennis has worldwide appeal among both genders, making it a desirable sport for sponsors. And Osaka, who is half Haitian and half Japanese, and who plays under the flag of Japan, gives Adidas extra sway in the important Asian market.

Click to keep reading about 20 athletes like Roger Federer who make most of their money from endorsements.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Tennis Champion Naomi Osaka’s $8.5M Adidas Deal Biggest Ever for a Woman