Roger Federer beats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in Forbes rich list
- Swiss is first tennis star to top list in 30 years and only second athlete after Tiger Woods to hit US$100 million in endorsements
- Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams are only two women to feature in top 100 sports earners list dominated by US athletes
Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has topped the Forbes list of highest earning sports stars ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
It is the first time that the 38-year-old has topped the list and he joins Tiger Woods in becoming an active athlete to breach the US$100m mark in endorsements in a single year.
Federer earned US$106.3 million with US$100 million in endorsements, including appearance fees, and US$6.3 million from tournament prize money.
The greatest men’s tennis player of all time has won US$130 million over his career but his commercial appeal and business dealings have dwarfed that. He is the first tennis player to top the list since it began in 1990 and only the ninth man to sit in top spot during that time.
Japanese brand Uniqlo signed him to a 10-year US$300 million deal, a move that raised eyebrows as Federer was 37 at the time. It also allowed him to negotiate a separate shoe deal.