The next season is around the corner and it could not be more exciting for tennis fans at their favorite players making a comeback. Among them are star players Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka.
Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek expressed her contentment at the news of Rafael Nadal and her rival Naomi Osaka’s return.
Iga Swiatek on Naomi Osaka: “I’m happy that she’s back and she could fulfil her other goals and now come back to playing tennis.”
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) December 22, 2023
More from Iga here: https://t.co/jeLIZjP3GRpic.twitter.com/bP05PlhNxv
Rafael Nadal last played at the 2024 Australian Open where he faced a second-round exit due to injury. He couldn’t play the entire season and recently announced his return in the next season. He will play at the Brisbane International starting on December 31st.
Naomi Osaka last played tennis at the Pan Pacific Open in September 2022. She initially went out of action due to injury but her break soon extended with her pregnancy. She welcomed her daughter ‘Shai’ in July and has been preparing for her comeback since then. She is all set to make her return at the Brisbane International where she has been awarded a wildcard entry.
Iga Swiatek is currently in Abu Dhabi playing at the World Tennis League after a successful season. She is part of the TSL Hawks team and also has Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz, and Caroline Garcia by her side. In one of her interviews there, she was asked to comment on the return of Nadal and Osaka.
“I really like to watch them, so just from a fan’s perspective I’m really happy that they are coming back and I’m going to be able to see their game. Rafa obviously is a huge inspiration for me, so I just hope he’s just going to play nicely. Naomi, we may play against each other, so it’s pretty funny but I’m happy that she’s back and she could fulfill her other goals and now comeback to playing tennis. I’m just curious how they’re going to play, if they are going to be rusty or not but obviously they are both really experienced so I hope they are going to go well.”
-Iga Swiatek in an interview
Iga Swiatek tops the Forbes list of highest-paid female athlete
Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek has been crowned as the highest-paid female athlete of 2023 by Forbes.
Swiatek had a remarkable performance in 2023, winning six titles including a Grand Slam at the French Open and the WTA Finals.
According to Forbes, she earned a whopping amount of $23.9 million keeping her at the top of the list. She is followed by freestyle skier Eileen Gu earning $22.1 million. Coco Gauff finds the third spot with $21.7 million.
A total of 12 tennis players find a place in the top 20 of the list. The other tennis players are Emma Raducanu(No.4), Naomi Osaka(No.5), Aryna Sabalenka(No.6), Jessica Pegula(No.7), Elena Rybakina(No.9), Leylah Fernandez(No.10), Zheng Qinweng(No.15), Ons Jabeur(No.18), and Marketa Vondrousova(No.20).
