Osaka tops Serena as top-paid female athlete

NEW YORK: Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has become the world’s highest-paid female athlete, making $37.4 million in the past 12 months for an earnings record, Forbes magazine reported Friday. The 22-year-old, a two-time Grand Slam champion, edged US rival Serena Williams by $1.4 million in prize money and endorsement over the past year. Both shattered the old single-year earnings mark of $29.7 million set in 2015 by Russia’s Maria Sharapova, who retired in February with five Grand Slam titles, including a career Slam.