Six Tennis Players On Forbes’ Top Athlete List

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 14th June 2013

Six Tennis Players On Forbes’ Top Athlete List

epa02803200 Maria Sharapova of Russia celebrates her victory over Sabine Lisicki of Germany in their semi final match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 30 June 2011. EPA/KERIM OKTEN |

Forbes new top 100 list of the world’ s most highly paid athletes contains six tennis players, with Roger Federer coming in at No. 2 with $71.5 million in overall earnings in 2012, $65 million of which was off court in endorsements and exhibitions.

The Swiss was behind golfer Tiger Woods, who earned $78.1, but they had the same endorsement income. Woods earned more in prize money.

Federer finished ahead of NBA stars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, and the NFL s Drew Breese.

Federer has the most impressive endorsement portfolio in sports, with 10 sponsors that collectively pay him more than $40 million annually, including long-term deals with Nike, Rolex, Wilson and Credit Suisse, the magazine wrote. The newest addition is champagne brand Moet & Chandon, which signed Federer to a five-year deal at the end of 2012. Federer’s income surged after a barnstorming exhibition tour of South America that netted him $14 million for six events.

Maria Sharapova was the second highest earning tennis player at No. 2, supposedly taking in $29 million, with $23 million coming off court. She is the highest-paid women’s athlete in the world.

Sharapova completed the career Grand Slam last year when she won the French Open. The win triggered lucrative bonuses with sponsors Nike and Head, the magazine noted. She launched her own candy line, Sugarpova, last year and it expects to sell 1.5 million bags at $5-6 a pop in the first 12 months.

Novak Djokovic earned $26.9, $12.9 million of which came off court. Rafael Nadal, who missed the second half of 2012 due to injury, was No. 30 at $26.4, with $21 million coming off court. Forbes noted that Nadal’s watch sponsor Richard Mille released a sequel in February to the Nadal signature timepiece which comes with a $690,000 price tag.

Serena Williams was placed at No. 68 with $20.5, million, but only $12 came off court, near half of what Sharapova earned from endorsements and exhibitions. Williams has cut back her endorsement commitments in recent years, but still pitches for Nike, Wilson, Gatorade and OPI ” Forbes wrote. She also has equity deals with HSN, Sleep Sheets, Mission and the Miami Dolphins.

China s Li Na was No. 85, earning $18.5 million, with a whopping $15 million of that coming off court. Li extended her Rolex deal in 2013 after reaching the Australian Open finals. Sharapova, Williams and Li were the only three women on the list.

Interestingly, Andy Murray did not make the top 100 even though he earned $5.7 million in prize money in 2012, which means that it is unlikely that he is earning more than $10.5 million off court, given that 100th athlete on the Forbes list earned $16. 4 million overall.

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nutmeg237 says:

June 14, 2013 at 7:32 am

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