The 23-year-old’s $60 million 12-month payday crushes her own record for a female athlete. Dropping out of the French Open could open the door for more sponsors.
, tied with Tiger Woods and well ahead of men’s tennis stars like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in a significant jump from last year’s No. 29 ranking.
“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if she had broken her ankle,” says Christie Nordhielm, an associate professor of marketing at Georgetown University. “With mental health, we have to treat it just like physical health. Would breaking her leg hurt her with sponsors? Things happen.” For most tennis pros, a broken ankle—or a public protest—that took them off television for a spell might actually hurt their earnings. Sponsors agree to pay big bucks to top players with the expectation that they’ll make deep runs at major tournaments, giving their logos plenty of airtime. But Osaka is not just any tennis pro.
Nike quickly issued a statement saying: “Our thoughts are with Naomi. We support her and recognize her courage in sharing her own mental health experience.” Brands including GoDaddy, Hyperice, Levi’s, Nissan, Nissin Foods and TAG Heuer offered their backing in similar emailed statements, and