Federer tops list of world's highest-earning athletes

Sports Monday 01/June/2020 16:24 PM
By: Times News Service
Federer tops list of world's highest-earning athletes

Washington: Roger Federer landed the top spot of 2020 Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes with pre-tax earnings of $106.3 million.
It's the first time the Swiss tennis legend tops the annual list. His earning includes $6.3 million in prize money and $100 million from endorsements and appearance fees. His previous best ranking was second in 2013.
Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo was second on the list with $105 million. Argentine football star Lionel Messi ranked third with $104 million.
Federer, who has the best endorsement portfolio in sports, is just the ninth athlete to have landed in the top spot since 1990, the first year Forbes began tracking athletes’ earnings. He is also the first tennis player in the 30-year history to land at No. 1 after drawing $100 million off the court.
Athletes from 21 countries and 10 sports make the final cut this year, as do two women — Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams — the first time more than one woman has made the ranks since 2016, when Williams appeared with Maria Sharapova. Osaka, who earned $3.4 million in tournament pay, is another dream endorser, collecting $34 million from brands including Nike, Nissan Motor and Procter & Gamble. No female athlete from any other sport besides tennis has ever made this elite rank.
While more NBA players make the list than any other sport, NFL players had the best year as a group thanks to the season’s late-summer start that has left them unaffected by the pandemic. Altogether 31 football stars made the cut, up from 19 a year ago.