Iga Swiatek takes a subtle dig at Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu following Forbes’ List of Highest-Paid female athletes

World No 1 Iga Swiatek dissatisfied with the list of highest-paid female athletes of 2022 as released by Forbes magazine.

Iga Swiatek takes a subtle dig at Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu following Forbes’ List of Highest-Paid female athletes

Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu - FirstSportz

Polish player Iga Swiatek remained the dominant female player in 2022. She clinched two singles Grand Slam titles and six other WTA singles titles. Her undefeated 37-match winning streak is the longest WTA record in the 21st century that ended with her defeat at Wimbledon. Despite much success, she finds herself 5th on the list of highest-paid female athletes of the year. She expressed her displeasure upon finding Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu placed over her on the list.

She gained the No 1 rank after Ashleigh Barty’s sudden retirement in March. Since then, Swiatek has maintained her position as the top-ranked player for more than 30 weeks. She became the fourth female player to achieve this feat. Moreover, the Pole’s 18-match winning streak in the clay season ended with her loss at the Poland Open. She had a 67-9 win-loss record in the season.

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But the Forbes list left the 21-year-old shocked. Despite not having much success and playing fewer matches, Naomi Osaka topped the list with her $51.1 million in earnings, followed by Serena Williams with $41.3 million. But the most shocking name was Emma Raducanu, who hasn’t won a single WTA title but still churned out $18.7 million to be placed in the 4th position.

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Swiatek with earnings of $14.9 million is in fifth place. The 3-time Grand Slam champion pointed out that most of her earnings are from prize money whereas others make the most from brand endorsements.

“I’m glad to see that ranking. Money isn’t my motivation but the tricky thing is I earned it really on the court & other players earned it mostly from endorsements so there’s a difference. I feel I can still expand my business a bit,” said Iga Swiatek.

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Iga Swiatek aims to carry forward her incredible form into 2023

Iga Swiatek - FirstSportz
Iga Swiatek – FirstSportz

The US Open winner ended the year with more than 11,000 rankings points. She became the second player to achieve this feat other than the 23-Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams. This difference itself shows the consistency and dominance the Polish had on the WTA tour.

She started the season as the World No 9 but ended the year as the World No 1. Iga Swiatek created another record as she topped the list of most wins against top-10 female players in 2022 with her tally of 15. The Pole created an astonishing record by winning 22 bagels (winning a set 6-0)this season. The last one was at the WTA Finals against American World No.7 Coco Gauff.  Following her victorious season, she has been voted as the Player of the year at the 2022 WTA Awards.

The 3-time Grand Slam champion is the top-seed player at the 2023 Australian Open. Iga Swiatek will be aiming to continue her great form after having a commendable season in 2022. She was the semifinalist at Down Under last year and would be hoping to win her first title at Melbourne Park.

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