Roger Federer nonetheless the boss as Serena Williams £41m behind fellow tennis icon
Roger Federer continues to be the highest-paid athlete from the world of tennis regardless of his retirement on the finish of final 12 months, with the Swiss icon having earned significantly greater than the likes of Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal during the last 12 months. Federer has not performed competitively since bidding farewell to the skilled recreation on the Laver Cup final winter, whereas Williams retired from tennis after the top of her US Open marketing campaign again in August.
Federer’s inactivity doesn’t seem to have negatively affected his earnings, although, with the 41-year-old nonetheless flying excessive close to the highest of Forbes‘ checklist of the world’s highest-paid athletes in 2023. He is ninth general however is the top-ranked tennis participant after scooping £76.5million during the last 12 months, placing him above the likes of Neymar, Tiger Woods and Lewis Hamilton within the pecking order.
Williams, in the meantime, is the one different tennis consultant within the prime 50 however stays a way adrift of Federer by way of her earnings during the last 12 months. The Michigan native pocketed simply over £35m all through the course of the 12 months, which marks lower than half of Federer’s whole determine over the identical size of time.
There isn’t any place on the checklist for the likes of Nadal, who not too long ago withdrew from the upcoming French Open resulting from a long-term hip harm, or Novak Djokovic regardless of the latter’s spectacular on-court exploits in latest months. Rising star Carlos Alcaraz additionally misses out regardless of successful his first Grand Slam title on the US Open final 12 months, as does Emma Raducanu after struggling with a variety of harm issues since her maiden triumph at Flushing Meadows again in 2021.
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It appears as if Federer will proceed to earn loads of cash as he embarks on his post-playing profession, with the Swiss legend nonetheless very a lot among the many sport’s largest advertising giants regardless of his retirement. Former Nike tennis director Mike Nakajima, who first met Federer when the latter was nonetheless a teenage prospect, not too long ago defined that his extremely personable nature has performed an essential function in serving to him to safe an unlimited array of profitable model offers over time.
“He has great marketability,” Nakajima instructed CNN. “I saw him speak four languages in a single interview and switch languages just like that. People tend to gravitate towards somebody willing to share himself and be unbashful. He’s able to appeal to any audience and people believe that he’s saying the truth, whatever Roger pitches, he’s that believable.
“I’ve had the privilege to fulfill so many world-class athletes. He’s one of many prime on my checklist, as regards to Roger, the sport changer, to how good of an individual he’s. Yes, he’s obtained much more cash and much more of every little thing, however he hasn’t modified.
“Money and fame change people a lot. I’m not going to name names, but we certainly have athletes in our sport that have changed. Money changed how they see things, act and talk to people. Roger never did that.”