Roger Federer earned $106.3 million in the last 12 months to become the highest-paid athlete in the world. Federer became the first-ever tennis player to land the top spot since 1990. However, along with the Swiss maestro, five more tennis players landed in the 100 highest-paid athletes list by Forbes.
Tennis is a lucrative sport for those at the top with millions of dollars up for the prize money in addition to the multiple endorsements and sponsors. Moreover, the sport is also the prime outlet for the top-earning female athletes as the only 2 women who are included in the top 100 highest-paid athletes on the planet are tennis players.
Tennis players ranking on world’s highest-paid athlete’s list
Besides Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, and Kei Nishikori are the tennis stars who are included in the world’s highest-paid athlete list.
23. Novak Djokovic – $44.6 million
27. Rafael Nadal – $40 million
29. Naomi Osaka – $37.4 million
33. Serena Williams – $36 million
40. Kei Nishikori – $32 million
Read More: “We Can Get Half The Money Right There” – Noah Rubin Has a Message For The Top Tennis Players
The top tennis stars mainly start to earn big paychecks from the sixth month of the year with three of the four Grand Slams held after May, including the US Open, which paid $3.85 million last year to the male and female champions.
However, the coronavirus pandemic has suspended the tennis season for more than two months now, canceling 40 tournaments so far including the Wimbledon championships.
These cancellations will certainly reduce the player’s revenue. Moreover, the tournament wins also help these players to get a bonus from endorsement deals. Hence, there could be a reduction in earnings for the players this year. However, a handful of players are immune to these reductions with multiple sponsors and endorsements.
Consequently, it is important for other players to play tournaments in order to make a living. Hence, the governing bodies are trying every possible way to resume the tour.
Varun Khanna
MBA tech grad.| Sports enthusiast| Writer by passion
