Novak Djokovic & Coco Gauff 'most marketable' tennis players of 2023, Naomi Osaka & Emma Raducanu in contention despite lack of on-court action

Novak Djokovic, Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka, and Coco Gauff have been named among the top 30 'most marketable' athletes of 2023.

The Sports Pro Most Marketable Athlete Award is basically an annual accolade given to athletes who are ranked based on their 'Marketability Score,' which is divided into three unique scoring components: Brand Strength, Total Addressable Market, and Economics. These points are combined together to generate a total score out of 100.

In the 14th edition of the award, reigning US Open champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff found themselves in 11th and 12th places, respectively. Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka came in at 14th place, while Emma Raducanu is ranked 21st.

Djokovic's ranking has risen dramatically since he was ranked 46th in 2022. However, Osaka and Raducanu witnessed a significant drop as they finished sixth and 12th, respectively, in last year's edition.

Other tennis stars in the top 50 include Aryna Sabalenka (18th), Rafael Nadal (41st), Petra Kvitova (43rd), and Ons Jabeur (50th).

Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Alex Morgan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Megan Rapinoe, Mikaela Shiffrin, Lewis Hamilton, Simone Biles, Kylian Mbappe, and Max Verstappen are the top ten athletes on the list.

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Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff have had a great 2023 season unlike Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka

Novak Djokovic pictured with his 2023 US Open trophy

Novak Djokovic has had a fantastic 2023 season, winning three of the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open. He was also one win away from claiming the title at Wimbledon, but Carlos Alcaraz shattered his hopes in the final.

Aside from these, the Serb won titles at the Adelaide International, and Cincinnati Masters, and helped his country Serbia advance to the Davis Cup Finals knockout stage. He also broke Steffi Graf's record of 377 weeks as the World No. 1 player and is currently in his 395th week at the top.

Coco Gauff had a great season as well, winning her maiden Grand Slam title in September at her home Major, the US Open, and reaching a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3. The American also won the Auckland Open, the Citi Open, and the Cincinnati Masters and made it to the quarterfinal of the French Open.

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu only competed in five tournaments this year, with her best result coming at Indian Wells where she reached the fourth round. She had a tough year with injuries and underwent surgeries. The Brit recently returned to the practice courts though, to be ready for her comeback.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, on the other hand, embarked on the journey of motherhood this year as she welcomed her daughter Shai in July with her rapper boyfriend Cordae. She hasn't played since the 2022 Toray Pan Pacific Open and aims to make a comeback at the Australian Open next year.