Highest annual earnings for a tennis player ever (male)

Highest annual earnings for a tennis player ever (male)
WHO
Roger Federer
WHAT
106,300,000 US dollar(s)
WHERE
Not Applicable
WHEN
01 June 2020

Roger Federer (Switzerland) made $106.3 m (£86 m) in prize money ($6.3 m; £5.1 m) and endorsements ($100 m; £80.9 m) in the 12 months to 1 June 2020, according to Forbes magazine’s World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2020 survey. The 20-time Grand Slam champion’s pre-tax earnings shattered his own single-year record of $93.4 m (£74 m) in 2018-19, and his lucrative deals with Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Rolex, Uniqlo and others ensured that tennis crowned its first-ever No.1-ranked athlete in the 30-year history of Forbes’ annual survey.

Federer took the No.1 spot from the previously top-ranked soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo ($105 m; £84.9 m) and Lionel Messi ($104 m; £84.1 m), with Neymar ($95.5 m; £77.3 m) completing soccer’s hat-trick at No.4 and basketball’s LeBron James ($88.2 m; £71.4 m) rounding out the top five.

Lower down the pecking order, Novak Djokovic ($44.6 m; £36.1 m) at No.23, Rafael Nadal ($40 m; £32.3 m) at No.27, Naomi Osaka ($37.4 m; £30.2 m) – the highest annual earnings for a female athlete ever – at No.29, Serena Williams ($36 m; £29.1 m) at No.33 and Kei Nishikori ($32.1 m; £25.9 m) at No.40 gave tennis an all-too-familiar presence in Forbes’ list.

Federer is only the second athlete – after golfer Tiger Woods – to make $100 m in endorsements in a single year. The Swiss ace’s on-court exploits have won him almost $130 m (£98.9 m) in prize money (as of 1 February 2021), but that figure is dwarfed by the money-spinning deals he has inked with partners who know the value of being a part of the success story of modern-day tennis’ most loved and admired star. His decade-long contract with Japanese apparel brand Uniqlo is worth an eye-watering $300 m (£242.8 m) alone.

The 39-year-old (b. 8 August 1981) will be raking in the cash long after he retires from a professional career that has realized 103 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) titles, 1,242 match wins (including 362 at Grand Slams) and 310 weeks ranked as the No.1 tennis player in the world.