Roger Federer has been named Forbes’ highest-paid athlete for the past 12 months, beating the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and LeBron James.
Federer has built a nearly impeccable reputation through his success on the court with 20 Grand Slam titles and 103 career victories.
But off-court, the Swiss star’s appeal has earned him deals with some of the biggest brands in the world.
Federer has endorsements with Japanese clothing line Uniqlo, German car giant Mercedes-Benz, long-time tennis manufacturer Wilson and French fine wine Moet & Chandon.
He’s arguably the most high-profile name in Switzerland and has deals with Credit Suisse, Rolex, Lindt and Jura.
And according to the respected financial magazine Forbes, Federer took home $106.3 million in pre-tax earnings to make him the first tennis star to top their annual list.
It represents a jump of four places after he was fifth in the 2019 list.
The report says Federer earned $100 million from endorsements and appearance fees which makes him just the second athlete after golfer Tiger Woods to hit that landmark-based on just sponsorships.
“His brand is pristine,” says David Carter, a sports business professor at USC Marshall School of Business told Forbes.
“Which is why those that can afford to align with him, clamor to do so.”
Just as they have been on the pitch, Ronaldo and Messi are closely matched in the financial stakes as well.
Ronaldo and Messi join Federer as the only athletes to break the $100m mark with $105m and $104m respectively.
Paris Saint Germain and Brazil star Neymar is fourth with $95.5m while Los Angeles Laker LeBron James is fifth on $88.2m.
The next nearest tennis player to Federer is world No 1 Novak Djokovic, who earnt more on the court with $12.6 but lags behind in terms of sponsorships.
Djokovic is 23rd in the list with $44.6m earned while Rafael Nadal is 27th on £40m.
Last week, Naomi Osaka was announced as the highest-earning female athlete on the list, surpassing Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
With $34m from endorsements, Osaka earned more than Djokovic and Nadal and altogether took home $37.4m.
