- Tops Ronaldo, LeBron on Forbes list
- As Naomi Osaka eclipses Serena
Swiss tennis maestro, Roger Federer is the world’s highest-paid athlete for 2020 as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic knocked soccer’s Lionel Messi off top spot.
According to the annual Forbes list released on Friday, the Swiss tennis great, owner of a men’s record 20 grand slam singles titles, earned $106.3 million in the last 12 months, including $100 million via endorsements, to move up four places and become the first player from his sport to top the list in the 30 years the business magazine has published the rankings.
Interestingly also, Japanese tennis sensation, Naomi Osaka overtook American tennis legend, Serena Williams to rank as the world’s highest-paid female athlete for the period under consideration.
At 38, Federer’s sponsorship portfolio includes such brands as Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz, Wilson and a 10-year, $300 million deal with Japanese apparel top brand, Uniqlo.
He is closely followed on the earnings’ table by two of the world’s best footballers, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo with $105 million and Argentine Lionel Messi with $104 million.
Rounding up the top five earners are Brazilian soccer star, Neymar with $95.5 million and American basketball player, LeBron James who has $88.2 million to his name.
British boxer, Tyson Fury, who captured the WBC heavyweight championship in February by knocking out former Champion, American Deontay Wilder, came in at No 11 with $57 million in earnings.
Fury is tops among five British athletes on the list ahead of Formula One (F1) driver, Lewis Hamilton – (No 13); Golf star, Rory McIlroy – (No 14); WBA/WBO/IBF heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua – (No 19); and Gareth Bale – (No 73). The Irish Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star, Conor McGregor, ranked 16th despite having won only one fight in the octagon since 2016.
“The coronavirus pandemic triggered salary cuts for soccer stars Messi and Ronaldo, clearing the way for a tennis player to rank as the world’s highest-paid athlete for the first time,” said Kurt Badenhausen, senior editor at Forbes.
“Roger Federer is the perfect pitchman for companies, resulting in an unparalleled endorsement portfolio of blue-chip brands worth $100 million a year for the tennis great”, Badenhausen said.
The female sports personalities on the list are Japan’s Naomi Osaka whose $37.4 million placed her at number 29th as the world’s highest-earning female athlete, surpassing fellow tennis player, Serena Williams with $36 million
Osaka and Williams are the only women on the list, though it is the first time more than one female athlete has been included since 2016 when Williams and Maria Sharapova were featured.
Basketball players led all sports with 35 players among the top 100. NFL players occupied 31 spots, up 19 from last year, none higher than six-time Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady ($45m) ranked 25th.
Soccer came next as the most represented sport with 14 players, followed by tennis (six), boxing and MMA (five), golf (four), motor racing (three), and baseball and cricket with one each.
The uncertainty amid the pandemic took its biggest toll on Major League Baseball with only Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Clayton Kershaw making the list after 15 players appeared on last year’s edition.
The state of player compensation in baseball remains a point of hot contention between the owners and the workforce as the season enters its 10th week of postponement.
Forbes calculated that its top 100 earned a total of $1.1 billion from endorsements, memorabilia and appearance fees, up 11 per cent from last year, on top of a 12 let cent gain in year 2019. – With agency reports
