Naomi Osaka announced as the new brand ambassador for TAG Heuer
Swiss luxury watchmakers TAG Heuer unveiled three-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka as their new brand ambassador on Tuesday.
This is the second high-profile brand endorsement deal that the 23-year-old Japanese superstar has signed this year. Just last week, Osaka was named the new face of French fashion house Louis Vuitton.
Tag Heuer made the announcement via a press release, wherein they talked about Osaka's on-court as well as off-court activities over the past couple of years.
"Naomi Osaka is not only one of the world’s top tennis players, an exceptional athlete with a winning mindset, but she is also recognized as a committed social activist who uses her platform to make the world better," the company said in the release.
Naomi Osaka is in good company too as the brand ambassador for TAG Heuer. Fellow tennis stars Petra Kvitova, Alex de Minaur, Denis Shapovalov, Frances Tiafoe and Felix Auger-Aliassime also endorse the watch company.
Naomi Osaka is the highest-earning female athlete in the world
At 23, Naomi Osaka is the highest-earning female athlete in sports according to Forbes magazine. Osaka raked in a total of $37.4 million combined from prize money and endorsements last year.
The Japanese earned $1.4 million more than 23-time Major winner Serena Williams during the same period. Williams had topped the female athletes' list for four years prior to 2020.
Osaka's earnings are a record for a female athlete during a 12-month period, beating the previous best of $29.7 million that Maria Sharapova achieved in 2015.
Before the recent endorsements, Osaka already had major sponsorship deals with Nike, Nissan Motors, Shiseido and Yonex. She is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, having won her second US Open title in September 2020.
Besides her exploits on the court, Naomi Osaka was also at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement last year. Then during each of her matches at the US Open, she wore a mask embossed with names of victims of racial injustice and police brutality to raise awareness about the issue.
The former World No. 1 is currently in Adelaide where she is spending her two-week quarantine ahead of next month's Australian Open. The 2019 champion is scheduled to play an exhibition event in Adelaide on January 29 before heading to Melbourne for the first Slam of the year.