Roger Federer has earned over €100 million in career prize money, more than any other tennis player in history. Yet, the sum dwarfs the one he receives from endorsement deals every year. For example, over the past year, he earned around €55.5 million in sponsorship deals alone. As a matter of fact, his off-court earnings from marketers are higher than any other athlete in the world.
Federer leads the pack
Federer is considered by many to be the greatest tennis player of all time. He became the oldest player (by more than three years) to claim the No.1 world ranking. The Swiss won his 20th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open back in January and is chasing his 100th tennis trophy overall. His brilliance on the court is matched by his devotion to good causes off the court. The Roger Federer Foundation has raised over €35 million with the sole purpose of educating children in Africa.
He recently ended his partnership with Nike and signed a 10-year deal with a Japanese sports apparel company called Uniqlo worth €25 million per year. Federer’s other partnerships include Rolex, Mercedes-Benz, Wilson, Lindt, Credit Suisse, Jura and NetJets, all of which are over a decade long.
Nadal, Nishikori, Djokovic, Serena Williams round up the top 5
Federer is followed by his long-time rival Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard ended a three-year Grand Slam drought by winning the 2017 Roland Garros and US Open. He is the current world No.1 and the top seed at the 2018 US Open. In 2016, “The Bull” opened a tennis academy in his hometown of Manacor, Spain and has endorsement deals with Nike, Kia Motors, Banco Sabadell and more.
The third place belongs to Kei Nishikori. Nishikori is huge in Japan, where his superstar status earns him a “small” fortune. He is seen as the face of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, as most of his endorsement deals run until then. Believe it or not, he actually made more money from sponsors than Rafael Nadal over the last year.
The 2018 Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic is next on the list. His wrist injury and subsequent surgery cost him a lot of time on the sidelines. Nevertheless, he earned plenty from his sponsors and recently swapped Uniqlo with Lacoste as his apparel brand.
Serena Williams rounds up the top five, even though she missed 14 months of court time due to pregnancy. She has contracts with more than ten sponsors which include Nike, Intel, Gatorade and Beats. Her earnings are unprecedented in the women’s world of sports.
Here’s the full top 10 list:
- Roger Federer: €66 million
Prize money: €10.5 million
Endorsements: €55.5 million
- Rafael Nadal: €35.4 million
Prize money: €12.4 million
Endorsements: €23 million
- Kei Nishikori: €29.5 million
Prize money: €1.3 million
Endorsements: €28.2 million
- Novak Djokovic: €20 million
Prize money: €1.2 million
Endorsements: €18.8 million
- Serena Williams: €15.5 million
Prize money: €55,000
Endorsements: €15.5 million
- Caroline Wozniacki: €11 million
Prize money: €6 million
Endorsements: €5 million
- Grigor Dimitrov: €10.8 million
Prize money: €5.7 million
Endorsements: €5.1 million
- Andy Murray: €9.9 million
Prize money: €850,000
Endorsements: €9 million
- Sloane Stephens: €9.5 million
Prize money: €4.8 million
Endorsements: €4.7 million
- Garbine Muguruza: €9.4 million
Prize money: €4.7 million
Endorsements: €4.7 million
Pick your Tennis Player for the upcoming US Open 2018!
Tennis is one of the few sports where men and women are treated equally when it comes to prize money, which is why there are four ladies in the top 10.