Last year’s U.S. Open men’s final featuring Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikoriwas the first Grand Slam final since the 2005 Australian Open to not include Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. The Big Three have won 39 of the 47 Grand Slam events since the start of 2004 (they have 23 runner-up finishes combined as well) and they are not ready to relinquish their spots atop the tennis world with Djokovic and Federer currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world.
The past decade has been a golden era for men’s tennis with the three future Hall of Famers earning a fortune for their efforts. Federer, Djokovic and Nadal lead tennis in career prize money with a combined $250 million (Pete Sampras is No. 4 at $43 million, $30 million behind third-ranked Nadal).
In addition to their winnings on the court, elite tennis players are magnets for rich endorsement deals, and this trio is at the top of the charts. They rank as the three highest-paid tennis players in the world for the second straight year with combined earnings from prize money and endorsements of $148 million over the past year.
Federer is the top-earning tennis player for the ninth straight year with $67 million from prize money, endorsements, appearances and exhibitions between June 1, 2014, and June 1, 2015.
At 34 years old, Federer continues to be a force in the men’s game with seven tournament wins over the past 12 months. His world ranking dropped to No. 7 in 2013, but Federer rebounded and finished last year ranked second. His 12-month prize money total more than doubled to $9 million. Federer holds the record for career prize money ($93 million) and Grand Slam singles titles (17).
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Federer’s long track record of excellence helps him generate more money from endorsements than any other athlete on the planet. His sponsor portfolio is filled with long-term deals with blue-chip companies like Nike NKE -2.78%, Rolex and Credit Suisse. He extended his Mercedes-Benz deal at the end of 2014 for another three years. The latest company to tab Federer is Sunrise, the largest private telecommunications provider in Switzerland. It inked Fed to a five-year pact in December. Other partners include Wilson, Lindt, Jura, Moet & Chandon, National Suisse and NetJets.
Djokovic, 28, ranks second with earnings of $48.2 million from prize money and sponsors. Djokovic has been on an incredible roll since he elevated his game in 2011. He appeared in 15 of the past 20 Grand Slam finals with eight wins in those matches. He pocketed $63 million in prize money since the start of 2011. He now ranks second all-time in prize money with $83 million. His endorsement profile has picked up in recent years and is starting to match his game. Djokovic signed lucrative deals with ANZ , Jacob’s Creek, Peugot and Seiko last year and his off-court earnings hit $31 million.
Spain’s Nadal, 29, is third with earnings of $32.5 million. He struggled with injuries after a huge 2013 season and saw his prize money drop by $10 million to $4.5 million in the latest 12 months. Nadal was the No. 1 player in the world as recently as June 2014, but now sits at No. 8. He even lost at the French Open in the semifinals after winning 66 of his previous 67 matches and nine titles at Roland Garros. Nadal did ink two new corporate partners in Tommy Hilfiger and Spanish communications giant Telefonica. Kia Motor also renewed its deal with Nadal in May for five more years.
Tennis is an attractive sport for companies because of its global nature. Tennis can’t compete with major team sports in the U.S., but it is the second or third most popular sport in Europe, South America and other parts of the world behind soccer and sometimes basketball. The 12 top-earning players hail from 10 different countries with only Switzerland and Serbia landing two players each.
The strong demographics of its fans, who snap up equipment, watches and cars thanks to high disposable incomes, are also a plus. The average household income of attendees at the U.S. Open is $161,000 and 80% hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
Another factor that distinguishes tennis is the gender neutral piece of the sport. “There is not another sport in the world of any scale that has achieved the gender parity that exists in tennis,” says Lew Sherr, Chief Revenue Officer at the U.S. Tennis Association. Fans, participants and TV viewership all include equal parts men and women. Our list of the highest-paid tennis players is no different with five women in the top 12, led byMaria Sharapova and Serena Williams, who rank No. 4 and No. 5 overall. Sharapova, with earnings of $29.7 million, has been the highest-paid female athlete in the world for 11 years running.
Overall, the world’s 12 highest-paid tennis players made a combined $71 million in prize money between June 2014 and June 2015, but the big money was off the court where this group banked $216 million from endorsements and appearances. The $286 million total is up 4% from last year.
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