Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka Yet Again Lead in an Elite Sporting Category

Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are two of the biggest superstars in the women’s game. The veteran with 23-Grand Slam titles and the youngster with 4 both amass a huge tribe of followers across the world. As a result, they often feature at the top of lists measuring financial gains from endorsements and the like. 

Recently, Twitter released its data about 2021 ‘Year on Twitter’ which included information about the most tweeted about female athlete in 2021. Not surprisingly, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka’s names both featured. The Japanese tennis star is in the second position and the American legend is in the fourth spot. 

Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are the faces of WTA

The top position is held by seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles; she had an eventful year as she withdrew from events at the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns. On third is WWE Wrestler Sasha Banks and on fifth is another member of the WWE, Bianca Belair. 

Over recent years, the popularity of Osaka has grown rapidly. The success on the court has been matched with her popularity off the court as well. She was one of the first athletes to speak up about mental awareness during the French Open this year. 

Serena has been dominating the WTA Tour for two decades now and still competes toe-to-toe at the highest level. Though she didn’t have a vintage year on the tour in 2021, her popularity would’ve been boosted by the release of her father’s biopic, King Richard.

Reflecting on tennis, Osaka came to light when she managed to knock off Williams in the US Open 2018 final. Since then, she has only climbed places and is the winner of four Grand Slam titles currently. 

They faced each other this season in Melbourne and it was the Japanese star who came out on top, winning the semi-final of the Australian Open in straight sets. 

Watch this story: The Journey of Roger Federer to the Elite Billionaire’s Club