Facing an early departure from the Australian Open 2022, Naomi Osaka stated that she will temporarily cease using social media. Since taking a mental health break last year, this is her first major competition.
Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, was eliminated in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday. She lost in three sets to another American player Amanda Anisimova. Facing an early departure from the Australian Open 2022, Naomi Osaka stated that she will temporarily cease using social media. Since taking a mental health break last year, this is her first major competition.
After a long break, Osaka returned to the Australian Open in 2021 and fought hard against her new opponent. She won the opening set by 6-4 before falling to 6-3 in the second. Finally, she lost the third set in a tie break with a score of 7-6. According to reports, the loss drops her to 84th in the Women's tennis rankings. Her 84th position will be her lowest since August 2016, when she was still a rising talent.
Osaka told reporters shortly after the match "I mean to me it's always a tennis match, you know what I mean? I feel like the outside stuff comes after. The first thing that I'll probably do when I look at my phone is delete Instagram and Twitter, and then I probably won't redownload it for a couple of weeks."
She went ahead to add "To me it's exciting. Not the loss itself, but, like the person I lost to because it's like showing the growth of tennis. I feel like now I'm in this position where if I lose to someone, it might make a headline, but I also think it kind of grows more superstars, and I feel like that's good for the game."
Anisimova stated after her victory over two-time Australian Open champion Osaka "Naomi is an absolute champion. So, I knew I had to really step up my game. "I think I started doing that in the second set. I'm so grateful I was able to play so well today and get this win. It means a lot."
The Australian Open isn't getting any easier for Anisimova. In the next round, she will face world number one and home favourite Ashleigh Barty.
As Aryna Sabalenka became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to defend her US Open 2025 title, here are the US Open champions of the last 10 years in the women's category.
TheUS OpenChampionships is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world. It is also known as the U.S. National Championship. It is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually in Queens, New York.
The tournament first started in 1987, which consisted of five primary championships: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles. The US Open has been chronologically the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year. The other three are the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon.
Aryna Sabalenka joined the list of women's US Open champion at the 2024 edition in the Open era with her victory over Jessica Pegula. She is the first Belarusian to get her hands on the US Open. Aryna then went on to defend her title in 2025 edition by beating home favourite USA's Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3).
Let's have a look at the women's US Open champion list from the last 10 years.
1. 2016 US Open Champion | Angelique Kerber
German tennis player Angelique Kerber defeated Karolína Plíšková 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to earn her second major singles title. Kerber, who won the Australian Open that same year, became the first player to win both hard-court majors in the same year since Martina Hingis in 1997.
Kerber also attained the world No. 1 ranking for the first time after Serena Williams failed to reach the final.
2. 2017 US Open Champion | Sloane Stephens
At the 2017 US Open, unseeded Sloan Stephens prevailed over Madison Keys in the first all-American women's singles championship since the Williams sisters went head-to-head in 2002.
During just one hour of play, Stephens defeated Keys 6-3, 6-0. It was her first major title. Stephens also became the second unseeded woman in the Open Era to win the title after Kim Clijsters in 2009.
3. 2018 US Open Champion | Naomi Osaka
In a breakout performance at the 2018 US Open, Naomi Osaka defeated Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 to become Japan's first-ever tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title. She lost only one set during the tournament, to Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round.
Following the win, Osaka also made her top 10 rankings debut. If Williams won the title, she would have tied Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu won her first Grand Slam trophy at the 2019 US Open. She defeated 23-time winner Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5. Andreescu became the first Canadian, as well as the first player born in the 2000s, to win a major singles title.
In addition, Bianca was the youngest person since Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2004 to win a major singles title, and the first woman to win the US Open on her main draw debut.
Bianca also became the first Canadian to reach the semifinals in the tournament since Carling Bassett-Seguso in 1984 and she was also the first Canadian woman to reach the final in any major since Eugenie Bouchard in the 2014 Wimbledon Championships.
5. 2020 US Open Champion | Naomi Osaka
Japan's Naomi Osaka won her second US Open singles title in just three years at the 2020 US Open, defeating Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. Osaka also became the first woman since Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario in 1994 to win the US Open after dropping the first set. It was also her third major title overall.
Osaka became the first player from an Asian country (excluding Russia) to win three major singles titles, the first player since Jennifer Capriati to win three such titles in three attempts.
It was a battle between teenage upstarts Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez at the 2021 US Open. British qualifier Raducanu defeated Fernandez in the final, 6-4, 6-3, to win her first Grand Slam title. she became the first British woman to win a singles major since Virginia Wade at the 1977 Wimbledon Championships, and the second player to win the US Open on her debut after Bianca Andreescu in 2019.
Aged 18, she also became the youngest major champion since Maria Sharapova at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships.
7. 2022 US Open Champion | Iga Świątek
In the 2022 US Open women's final, Iga Świątek battled past Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) for her second Grand Slam win of the season. With this win, Swiatek became the first woman to win seven titles in one year since Serena Williams in 2014. The world No1 also matched a Serena Williams record by claiming her tenth straight finals victory.
Moreover, Świątek became the first Polish woman in the Open Era to reach the US Open quarterfinals, semifinals, and final. Świątek also became the youngest woman to win three majors since Maria Sharapova in 2008.
Coco Gauff stopped Aryna Sabalenka's juggernaut in the US Open 2023 final to earn her maiden Grand Slam title. With this triumph, she emerged as the first American player to secure a US Open singles title since Sloane Stephens in 2017. Gauff also became the youngest American to win the US Open women's singles title since 17-year-old Serena Williams did it in 1999.
Moreover, Gauff had become the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history, making it to the fourth round during her Grand Slam debut in 2019. After a shattering loss during last year's French Open, Gauff has come back strongly to win the titles in Washington and Cincinnati.
9. 2024 US Open Champion | Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won the US Open 2024 women's singles title. Sabalenka defeated America's Jessica Pegula in consecutive sets 7-5, 7-5 in the final. This is her first US Open title and third Grand Slam title. Earlier, she had won the Australian Open title in 2023 and 2024. Apart from this, Sabalenka has reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2021 and 2023 and the French Open in 2023.
Sabalenka also became the first Belarusian to get her hands on the US Open and the fifth woman to win the Australian Open and US Open in the same year, besides legendary players like Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Angelique Kerber and Martina Hingis.
10. 2025 US Open Champion | Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka became the first woman to defend the US Open title since Serena Williams in 2014. Sabalenka notched her 100th career Grand Slam main-draw match victory with her win over Amanda Anisimova by 6-3, 7-6(3).
This was her first title of 2025 and fourth Grand Slam title of her career. After unsuccessful finals this year at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, the reigning No. 1 was finally able to get her hand on a Grand Slam title. Sabalenka's power and accuracy were too hard to handle for the American in the final.
Women in Sports: Highest-paid women athletes in the world [2025]
Let's have a look at the highest-paid women athletes of the 2024-25 period and how much do they make in a year including prize money, endorsements and net worth.
Sports stands as one of the highest-paid professions globally because of vast financial rewards and entertainment value. A lot of people think athletes make their money only from winning games or medals. But in 2025 some female sports stars are also making a whopping amount of money off the field. They have made good business decisions, signed big sponsorship contracts, and started their own businesses.
Let's have a look at the highest-paid women athletes of the 2024-25 period and how much do they make in a year including prize money, endorsements and net worth.
In 2025, Simone Biles will be acknowledged not just as a gymnast but more extensively as a business profile. Following her transition back to competition in 2023 she worked with brands including: Athleta, Visa, and Uber Eats.
As referenced by Forbes, Simone Biles' net worth is $11.2 million. She also earns from public speaking and campaigns for social causes.
9. Venus Williams (Tennis) | $12.1m
Tennis icon Venus Williams brought in $12.1 million, mostly from off-court ventures like her fashion line and brand deals, proof of her lasting influence in and outside of sports.
Her off-court earnings are equally impressive. With endorsement deals from Nike, Wilson, and Gatorade, Venus earned an estimated $6 million annually at the height of her influence. A $5 million multi-year deal with Porsche in 2018 underscored her brand power.
8. Nelly Korda (Golf) | $12.5m
Nelly Korda's net worth is $10 million in 2025, as reported by Celebrity Net Worth. In 2024, Forbes also recognized her as one of the highest-paid women golfers.
In 2024, Nelly Korda earned approximately $12.5 million, as reported by Forbes. She was recognized as one of the highest-paid women golfers, listed at #8 by Forbes, with her on-field earnings totaling $4.5 million and off-field endorsements bringing in $8 million.
6. Emma Raducanu (Tennis) | $12.9m
Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka are tied for sixth place on Forbes' highest-paid female athletes for 2025 list after both apparently earned the same amount of money this year ($12.9m).
The British tennis star pocketed a total of $12.9 million this year. While just $900k came from tennis, the 22-year-old's lucrative sponsorship and endorsement deals landed her additional $12 million.
6. Naomi Osaka (Tennis) | $12.9m
Naomi Osaka reportedly has an estimated net worth of $12.9 million, as of January 2025.
Her main sources of earning are her tennis career, off-court businesses as well as the endorsements that she has signed over time. As of the beginning of the 2025 season, Osaka has earned over $22 million via prize money.
5. Aryna Sabalenka (Tennis) | $18.7m
According to Forbes, Aryna Sabalenka has a net worth of $18.7 million as of March 2025.
As per the official website of the WTA, Sabalenka has won $32,163,253 in prize money. Her main sources of earnings are her tennis career and the endorsement deals she has signed over the years.
4. Zheng Qinwen (Tennis) | $20.6m
Tennis star Zheng Qinwen earned $20.6 million, with $15 million coming from partnerships with Audi, Lancôme, and Vivo. She's one of the fastest-rising athletes out of China and is already drawing comparisons to Li Na.
3. Eileen Gu (Skiing) | $22.1m
Eileen Gu, a two-gold medalist at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, is one of the highest-paid women athletes as of 2025. Eileen has many sponsorship contracts with companies like Red Bull, Anta and Tiffany & Co, more than 20 brand deals in total.
In 2024, Eileen Gu earned more than $30 million, not accounting for her previous earnings or expenses. Internationally, Eileen is a Chinese-American athlete. Her individual story and fan base in both countries made her an impactful name in global sport and fashion.
2. Iga Świątek (Tennis) | $23.8m
Iga Swiatek, the reigning women's World No. 3, has created a strong brand both on and off the court, and her total estimated wealth in 2025 will be close to a whopping $23.8 million.
She has won several Grand Slam titles, Wimbledon 2025 being the latest. She signed major deals with brands such as Asics, Rolex, and Tecnifibre and has established a good reputation for success in professional tennis and for her reserved internal personality, giving her serious appeal in sport and business.
In 2025, 20-year-old Coco Gauff is one of the highest-paid women in sports. As reported by Tennis.com, she made $34.4 million in 2024. Out of that, $9.4 million came from tennis prize money.
The rest over $25 million came from brand deals with companies like New Balance, Head, and American Eagle. Her fast rise and global popularity have made her a favorite for big sponsors.
Winning a Grand Slam title is something most tennis players dream of from the day they start swinging their racquet. Let's take a look those tennis players with most Grand Slam titles in men's tennis.
Winning a Grand Slam title is something most tennis players dream of from the day they start swinging their racquet. Despite the difficulty of winning a grand slam tournament, a select few have dominated on the biggest stage throughout the years. The past two decades, in particular, have seen certain players cement their place in history by winning a record number of grand slam titles. In 2025, the battle for those records continues, with Wimbledon taking place between June 30 and July 13.
Let's take a look those tennis players with most Grand Slam titles in men's tennis.
Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest tennis players in history. He has a record 24 men's singles Grand Slam titles. The Serbian tennis great also became the third men's player to win 100 ATP Tour titles. Djokovic is the only man to hold all four Slam singles titles at the same time since Rod Laver's 1969 calendar Grand Slam.
2. Rafael Nadal | 22 Grand Slam Titles
Rafael Nadal comes second on this list, winning 22 men’s singles Grand Slams, only behind Novak Djokovic. More than half of them came at one Slam and on one surface that the Spaniard became synonymous with: the French Open. No player has won more than Nadal’s 14 Roland-Garros titles throughout a dominant 18-year span, in which the king of clay defended his crown 10 times and recorded an unbelievable 97% win percentage.
3. Roger Federer | 20 Grand Slam Titles
Swiss great Roger Federer is one of the most decorated men's tennis stars. Federer won his first-ever grand slam title in 2003 & became the first men's singles player to reach the milestone of 20 grand slam titles and also eclipsed the record of 14 grand slams held by Pete Sampras during this quest. He has won 6 AO Open, 1 french Open, 8 Wimbledon & 5 U.S Open Titles. Federer won his last Grand Slam Title in 2018. He announced his retirement in 2022.
4. Pete Sampras | 14 Grand Slam Titles
Pete Sampras won 14 major singles titles during his career, which was an all-time record at the time of his retirement: a then-record seven Wimbledon titles, two Australian Opens, and a joint Open Era record of five US Open titles. He won 64 singles titles in total. He was the first to reach world No 1.9.
Roy Emerson was a Champion whose career bridged the amateur and Open eras. The Aussie great won his 12th Grand Slam singles title at the French Open Championship against countryman Tony Roche. His haul of 28 Grand Slam titles (12 singles, 16 doubles) is a record for men's tennis. Emerson is also the only man to win singles and doubles titles in all four majors.
AI in Sports: How It's Changing Player Performance & Fan Experience
The introduction of Artificial Intelligence or AI in sports is rapidly growing as it is revolutionizing the experience for both fans and players, bringing significant changes for greater communication.
Artificial Intelligence has been improving the sports we watch and analyze for nearly the past 20 years, but the latest generation of ultra-modern AI tools is revolutionizing every aspect of sports, from improving player and team performances to ensuring safety along with fan engagement and the experiences.
AI can process and store large amounts of data, which allows us to gain insights that we couldn't see before. This capability is at the center of the revolution. For the players, this brings improved strategies, varied training methods, and a significantly lower risk of injury.
The fans enjoy a whole new level of engagement in the game, thanks to Al-powered platforms providing content tailored to them, such as virtual reality experiences and more.
The massive impact of AI in the Sports Industry
Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the Sports Industry rapidly by offering solutions to common problems such as individual performance, tactical requirements, injuries and recoveries, variations in training, etc.
The capacity of AI and GenAI tools to analyze complex data and provide instant insights is ushering in a new era of athletic performance and fan engagement as well.
From predictive analytics that improve player safety and performance to AI-powered viewing experiences for fans, the influence of artificial intelligence is setting the bar higher across the industry.
1. Player and team performance
(Image Credit | Markovate)
GenAI can analyze team and player behavior to reach conclusions that would contribute to improved training and coaching. For example, they can monitor and analyze the movements of players with computer vision.
In this way, they can assess whether an athlete is moving wrongly or could be injured. Machine learning algorithms can watch game videos to identify patterns of the opposing team. Sports coaches can be made to develop wiser game plans and strategies by artificial intelligence.
Some techniques, including motion tracking and motion analysis, can capture changes in the posture, movement, or technique of a player that indicte fatigue or poor motor control.
According to a study by Grand View Research, the sports analytics market size was valued at $1.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $5.2 billion by 2028, showcasing the rapid growth and demand for advanced analytics tools in sports.
The following two tools are widely applicable to player and team analysis:
SportVU: This system tracks detailed player and ball motion in a game with computer vision and machine learning. It can analyze shot mechanics, accelerations and decelerations, speed, and distance.
KINEXON: This system tracks positional and motion data in real-time by equipping players with sensors.
2. Injury Prediction and Prevention
(Image Credit | Sportsmith)
Injuries occur regularly in professional sports. Identifying and preventing injuries before they even occur is likely one of the most thrilling applications of AI.
Teams can utilize AI algorithms to monitor an individual's motion as they move their joints and strain their muscles. It can search for patterns or instabilities that signify an injury before the symptoms themselves appear.
AI can recognize a slight deviation in the amount of strain a soccer player puts on their knee joint and warn the coaches or medical staff. Way before the injury became acute enough to cause the player to miss games, the team could either give them rest or do exercises to help them recover.
A report by MarketsandMarkets estimates that the global sports medicine market, which incorporates AI-driven health monitoring solutions, is projected to reach $9.3 billion by 2026, underlining the significant role of AI in athlete well-being.
The following two tools could be used in the AI-powered prediction and prevention of injuries:
Sparta Science: It uses computer vision and motion sensing in analyzing movement patterns of an athlete. Based on motion data, biomechanical deficiencies, and especially risks of increased injury, machine learning models are able to identify those.
Zone 7: It measures injury risk using factors such as workload, degree of fatigue, and others through artificial intelligence and research in sports science. Their methods take age, position, body composition, and medical history into account.
3. Training Through AI-Powered Analytics and Wearables
(Image Credit | Sports Tomorrow)
Smartwatches and fitness trackers are examples of wearable technology that have become essential for tracking many of the parameters mentioned earlier.
Wearable GPS devices that can track athletes' speed and location, overall distance traveled, and movement patterns are available to provide relevant information.
Wearable heart rate monitors use optical sensors to measure blood flow in real-time, tracking the heart rate. This is an important aspect of monitoring heart health, fitness levels, and recovery. It also helps in tracking blood oxygen levels, which is another important component of modern-day fitness trackers. They use optical sensors to track the oxygen saturation level of blood.
Since the 2010s, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), such as GPS tracking vests, have been commonly used in professional sports. Such vests are offered with discrete and effective GPS tracking and sensors located on the back and shoulders; they are typically worn as tank tops.
In football and rugby, the vest is mainly utilized to track the location and movement of a player and, thereby, report strengths and weaknesses.
4. Sports Commentary and Reporting
Sports commentary and reporting can automatically be generated from match events and live data by employing natural language processing(NLP) methods like GPT-3. Artificially intelligent commentary not only comments on a strategy but also summarizes the critical events of match play.
Similarly, GenAI can create such highlights, summaries, and post-match data reportage for viewing audiences as well.
NLP methods can make the commentary more dramatic and interesting by taking into account the game statistics and situations in real-time data. With the use of generated personalities and tones, it is possible to accommodate various fan interests in the coverage.
Automated GenAI reporting enhances sports coverage and commentary without losing interesting and captivating stories.
5. Sports Officiating
(Image Credit | Griffon Webstudios)
The use of AI in sports officiating is not without controversy, including traditional backlash and concerns regarding technology's influence on the game. Yet, the improvements it introduces, such as real-time analysis and decision support, are dramatically enhancing the accuracy and fairness of officiating.
Its capabilities to review plays from multiple angles and analyze them in seconds are proving invaluable in high-level games where every call matters.
Despite initial doubts, the use of AI in officiating is increasingly being accepted, with many seeing its potential to eliminate human error and ensure a level playing field.
As the technology improves and its uses extend, its role in assisting fair play and accuracy in sports is poised to increase, ushering in a new era in the use of technology and sportsmanship.
6. Player Scouting
(Image Credit | Intuz)
Team owners are using artificial intelligence to review the performance of the players. To determine the most skilled people to invest in, they use data analysis using artificial intelligence. It takes millions of dollars to find talent in the sports world.
So, team owners would like to ensure that scouting one player is the best decision. Artificial intelligence is used widely in scouting players for any sport, be it cricket, football, or basketball.
AI-powered Change in Fan Engagement and Experiences
1. Personalized Fan Engagement
To provide customised fan experiences, GenAI algorithms can model the preferences and behaviours of audiences. Sports teams and broadcasters can use these insights to optimize engagement across media channels.
For example, social media platforms can deliver tailored video highlights, personalized promotions, and AI-recommended content to resonate with each fan.
The NBA revealed 'NB-AI', allowing fans to activate "movie mode" and watch live games animated like popular films, such as Spider-Man
Based on their past interactions and activities, the Generative AI identifies what content types, sports stats, and topics each fan finds most appealing. It creates and sends personalized content for each person. This level of customization, enabled by GenAI in sports, helps sports organizations connect more deeply with their audiences.
2. Viewing Experiences
GenAI can process live video to generate augmented reality (AR) overlays and graphics that enhance broadcasts or live streams.
For example, shot trajectories, real-time player stats, and situational analysis can be visualized and overlaid onto the gameplay footage. For virtual reality (VR), GenAI can create real-world simulated environments for an immersive in-game perspective.
The key innovation is using Generative AI to dynamically generate and adapt AR/VR overlays and environments on the fly, customized to each moment. As the narrative and action of the game shift, the GenAI-powered augmented experiences shift with them, elevating viewing to multidimensional engagement.
A survey conducted by PwC found that 65% of sports fans are interested in using AR or virtual reality (VR) devices to watch sports, indicating a growing appetite for immersive experiences enabled by AI-driven technologies.
Conclusion
AI collaboration with sports is making the place safer as well as fairer. Predictive modeling and algorithms in AI are becoming a must for injury prevention. AI guarantees that more accuracy and fairness can be introduced in the outcome of a game by enhancing officiating. Both the aspects of performance and integrity are vital components in ensuring the prosperity and popularity of sports continue.
The impact of AI reaches sports journalism, advertising, and the creation of next-gen sports equipment, beyond the field or court. These innovations create new revenue streams and provide more exciting ways for fans to engage with their beloved sports and teams.
In this sense, artificial intelligence in the sports field could be said to be, by itself, a change not only for the athletes or for the coaches but for the sports system in general. With AI, the sports of the future could easily be foreseen because technology would harmoniously mix with manly athleticism at its highest levels.
The women's tournament has seen a number of talented players win the title. Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, and Naomi Osaka are some of the players who have won the tournament multiple times. The Australian Open winners list are given below.
Meanwhile, Madison Keys of America won her first-ever Grand Slam title by becoming the champion in the women's singles event of the Australian Open 2025.
In the title match, Keys defeated two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.
Keys is the second-oldest woman to claim her first Australian Open singles title in the Open era after China’s Li Na, who was 31 when she triumphed at Melbourne Park in 2014.