Federer tops list of world’s highest-paid tennis players in 2014.
Federer continues to be among the world’s best players 16 years after he turned pro. He holds the records for most singles Grand Slam wins (17) and career prize money ($81 million). He appeared in a staggering 18 out of 19 Grand Slam finals between 2005 and 2010.
His endorsement portfolio is filled with long-term deals with blue-chip companies like Nike, Rolex and Credit Suisse. His sponsors collectively pay him more than $40 million annually. The latest addition is champagne brand Moet & Chandon, which signed Federer to a five-year deal at the end of 2012.
Federer roared back this year at the age of 33 when most tennis players have hung up their rackets for good. The U.S. Open kicked off last Monday and Federer is ranked second in the men’s draw after racking up three titles so far in 2014. His most impressive performance may have come in defeat in an epic five-set loss to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon final.
Federer’s long run at the top cements him as the highest-paid player in tennis with earnings of $56.2 million between June 2013 and June 2014.
1 Roger Federer
Total earnings: $56.2 million
Prize money: $4.2 million
Endorsements: $52 million
Federer holds the records for most singles Grand Slam wins (17) and career prize money ($84 million). His endorsement portfolio is filled with long-term deals with blue-chip companies like Nike, Rolex and Credit Suisse, who collectively pay him more than $40 million annually.
2 Rafael Nadal
Total earnings: $44.5 million
Prize money: $14.5 million
Endorsements: $30 million
The defending champion will miss the 2014 U.S. Open with a wrist injury. Nadal had a monster 2013 season where he won two Grand Slams (French Open, U.S. Open) and finished year ranked #1. The wins and top year-end ranking kicked in bonuses from sponsors in addition to the $14.5 million in prize money he earned between June 2013 and June 2014.
3 Novak Djokovic
Total earnings: $33.1 million
Prize money: $12.1 million
Endorsements: $21 million
The current No. 1 player in the world appeared in the finals of nine Grand Slams and pocketed $38 million in prize money between 2011 and 2013. His endorsement profile has picked up in recent years with lucrative deals with Peugot and Seiko inked this year.
4 Maria Sharapova
Total earnings: $24.4 million
Prize money: $2.4 million
Endorsements: $22 million
Sharapova’s earnings took a hit when Nike sold Cole Haan in 2013, as Sharapova received hefty royalties on her best-selling line of Cole Haan shoes when it was under the Nike umbrella. But she remains the top female endorser in sports with deals with Nike, Avon, Samsung, Tag Heuer, Evian and Head.
5 Li Na
Total earnings: $23.6 million
Prize money: $5.6 million
Endorsements: $18 million
Li won the Australian Open in January for her second career Grand Slam title. The win triggered a massive bonus from sponsor Nike as well as her other endorsement partners. Li became a marketing darling in 2011 when she won the French Open to become the first Asian-born tennis player ever to win a Grand Slam singles event. She will miss the U.S. Open with a knee injury.
6 Serena Williams
Total earnings: $22 million
Prize money: $11 million
Endorsements: $11 million
The top-ranked female player has dominated her sport since turning pro in 1995. Her $57 million in career prize money is almost double No 2. on the list, Maria Sharapova. Williams can’t match Sharapova’s endorsements, but she maintains deals with Nike, Wilson, Gatorade and OPI.
7 Andy Murray
Total earnings: $19.2 million
Prize money: $4.1 million
Endorsements: $15 million
In 2013, Murray became the first Brit to win Wimbledon since 1936, triggering lucrative bonuses from sponsors Adidas and Head. Murray’s Adidas deal expires this year, and he is expected to sign a lucrative new agreement with either Adidas or Nike. Murray added a patch deal with Standard Life in 2014 worth more than $2 million a year.
8 Victoria Azarenka
Total earnings: $11.1 million
Prize money: $3.6 million
Endorsements: $7.5 million
Injuries have plagued Azarenka this year, but she finished 2013 ranked No. 2 in the world, triggering big bonuses from sponsor Nike. She signed a two-year deal with Esurance in March joining Wilson, Red Bull and watchmaker Citizen in her endorsement stable.
9 Kei Nishikori
Total earnings: $11 million
Prize money: $2 million
Endorsements: $9 million
Nishikori reached a career high ranking of No. 9 in May after his second title of the year and is the only Japanese tennis player to ever be ranked in the top 10. His role as the top player in Japan helped Nishikori rack up a loaded endorsement portfolio, which includes Uniqlo, Wilson, Adidas, Delta Airlines, Weider and Tag Heuer.
10 Caroline Wozniacki
Total earnings: $10.8 million
Prize money: $1.3 million
Endorsements: $9.5 million
World #1 golfer, Rory McIlroy, broke off his engagement to Wozniacki in May, but the Danish tennis pro rebounded to win her first tournament in nine months in July. Wozniacki kicked off a new Adidas deal last year that is one of the richest in the sport.
Anthony Nlebem
