With two Slam event titles in three months, Novak Djokovic has surged into the lead in the all-time prize money, with the former No. 1 • $119 million.
The sum was boosted by the healthy $3.8 million the Serbian Star collected for his straight-sets win over Juan Martin del Potro in the U.S. OPEN finals.
The new on-court total leaves Roger Federer in second, “lagging” at $ 117.5
But the Swiss is King in the endorsement world, with his annual total well north of $60 million.
Djokovic has staked his claim by claiming 13 of his 14 MAJOR trophies after 2010, when his breakthrough to the top of the rankings began to take flight. That stat is just the reverse of the Federer total, with the 37-year-old claiming 15 of his record-setting 20 titles prior to 2010.
“The players have played a key role in driving the growth (in prize money),” ATP spokesman Simon Higson told the BBC.
“The sport has seen significant increases in prize money levels over the past 10 years which have seen the players share in the overall commercial growth in the sport.”
Federer benefitted from this summer’s blockbuster deal with the Japanese clothing giant Uniqlo, said to be worth $30 million a year for 10 years. RF and sponsor Nike were a peRFect match. Still shaking my head on that deal. It makes no sense.
The Swiss boasts a blue-chip stable of sponsors, including world-class brands like Credit Suisse, Rolex, and Moet & Chandon, Mercedes and Swiss coffee machine conglomerate Jura.
Djokovic is said to pocket less than a third of the gushing Federer clash flow, with his annual intake on the sponsorship side pegged at $ 22 million, with his majority coming from French clothing firm Lacoste, according to Forbes magazine.
Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Juan Martin Del Potro, Nike, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Uniqlo, US Open tennis