Tennis takeover: Why top stars are the highest-paid athletes in the world

Roger Federer has ranked as the highest-paid athlete in the world for 2020, a first for tennis. Here’s a breakdown of how the ATP and WTA’s top stars are raking in big money.

Tennis is a sport dominated not by prize money or TV deals, but by player endorsements. A top-ranked player can total well over 50% of their earnings from endorsements and make a living without even stepping on court more than a few times per year. In stark contrast, lower-level players make most of their earnings via tournament prize money.

As arguably the most widely-known individual sport in the world, tennis players are global ambassadors of their sport. They play in tournaments around the world, from the United States and the United Kingdom to China and Australia. Brands obviously realize the vast potential they have in marketing a given player, which in turn leads to endorsements.

Forbes published its “World’s Highest-Paid Athletes” article for 2020. Roger Federer became tennis’s first player to reach the #1 spot. Sitting at $106 million USD, he topped soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and raked in a whopping $100 million in endorsements alone.

It’s a similar boat for the other members of the Big 3. Novak Djokovic came in next in the top-100 at 23rd. 72% of his $44.6 million came from endorsements ($32 million). Rafael Nadal followed closely behind at 27th, with 65% of his earnings came from endorsements ($26 million of his total 40).

More from Rafael Nadal

On the women’s side, Naomi Osaka (29th on Forbes’ top-100 athletes) made history by becoming the highest-paid female athlete ever in 2020, topping fellow tennis star Serena Williams and bringing in 37.4 million dollars. 91% of that, or $34 million, was made via endorsements. Williams in not far behind (33rd). 89% of her $36 million earned in 2020 came from endorsements (or $32 million).

Tennis players serve as walking billboards for brands; every tournament they play in leads to a major influx of exposure. This makes the top players more marketable than a large majority of stars. While top players in the NBA or in soccer benefit from luxurious team contracts and bonuses, tennis players are the world’s top earners in terms of endorsements due to their marketing value.

A perfect example is Kei Nishikori. Ranked 40th on Forbes’ list, he is ahead of superstars like Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, and Aaron Rodgers. Nishikori made $31 million in endorsements, which puts him above a majority of players on the list and puts him right up with Messi in terms of endorsement.

Similarly, on the women’s side, tennis has been the only sport that has produced a female athlete on the list since its creation in 1990. In the last decade alone, tennis players came out on top as the highest-paid female athletes in the world every year. Maria Sharapova was at the top from 2011-2015 until Williams took over from 2016-2019. Osaka broke through as the third female tennis player to top the list in the decade.

Tennis is the only way for women to rank alongside the top-paid male stars. Sharapova,Williams, Osaka, and recent retiree Li Na are the only women to rank among the top 100 highest-paid athletes since 2012. In every year since 1990, the top-earning female athlete has been a tennis player.

It’s possible that, outside of soccer, tennis is the most marketable sport in the world. Players compete all around the world and are on their own island of promotion when they play. From Babolat and Wilson rackets to Nike and Adidas clothing, players wear their sponsors’ gear almost 24/7 and it pays dividends for both sides.

Next. Djokovic and Thiem headline European exhibition tour swing. dark

Despite not having the TV rating or prize money cuts of other sports, tennis is kept afloat by their players’ extreme marketability. This allows tennis’s stars to take over as some of the world’s highest-paid athletes, and for good reason.

Home/Tennis News