“The women who have invested in me growing up made me who I am today, I don’t know where I would be without them,” Osaka, the world number three, wrote on Twitter. Osaka, 23, was named Forbes’ highest-paid female athlete in May last year when she surpassed her idol Serena Williams, raking in $37.4 million in prize money and endorsements over 12 months. Courage, founded in 2017 by Stephen Malik who acquired the franchise rights from 2016 champions Western New York Flash, won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 after moving to North Carolina.