Two-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka has been named the world’s highest paid female athlete, knocking Serena Williams off the top spot for the first time since 2015.

The 22 year-old broke through after beating Williams in the 2018 US Open final to secure her first Grand Slam title.

Osaka then went on just months later to clinch back-to-back Slam crowns as she triumphed at the 2019 Australian Open in Melbourne.

Despite dropping to world No 10 over the past 12 months, the youngster’s prize money and endorsement deals with the likes of Nike and Nissan have seen her collect £30.7 million over the last year, according to Forbes magazine.

That is £1.15m more than 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams, who drops off No. 1 in the list after four successive years.

Osaka has also become one of the flagship stars for the Tokyo Olympic Games, which has now been postponed until 2021.

Prior to 2015, fellow tennis star Maria Sharapova had held the top spot for five years in a row.

Tennis players have been at the top of the women’s list in every edition since it began in 1990.

It is also the first time since 2016 that two women have been included in Forbes’ list of the 100 top paid athletes in the world.

This year’s tennis calendar has been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, with the French Open being postponed and Wimbledon already cancelled.