Tennis ace tops financial charts without playing a single match – Reuters

Roger Federer continues to rake in the most money in tennis even though the Swiss icon remains on the sidelines with a long-term knee injury, according to a new list from Forbes magazine.

In releasing its traditional charts on the eve of the US Open, Forbes named the biggest winners in tennis over the past 12 months.

There were plenty of familiar faces on the list, but also emerging beginnings indicating where the future of the sport lies.

Federer, 41, has made around $90 million in the past year before taxes and agent fees are factored in.

All of this haul is made up of sponsorships and other revenue, with not a single dollar earned in prizes.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner has not played competitively since Wimbledon in the summer of 2021 after battling a knee injury but is targeting a fall return to the field.

His finances have hardly suffered in the meantime, as Federer enjoys a bumper salary thanks to deals with Rolex, Uniqlo and a share of Swiss running shoe brand On.

Second on the list – by far – is Japanese women’s ace Naomi Osaka.

The four-time Grand Slam winner has seen her returns dwindle on the pitch in recent months, but – like Federer – has a healthy sponsorship portfolio with companies such as Nike and its Kinlò skincare line.

This helped the 24-year-old pocket $56.2 million for the year in question, with $55 million coming from the field.

Serena Williams, who is expected to retire after the upcoming US Open, is third on the list with $35.1 million – only $100,000 has been paid out in prize money.

Further down, Spanish great Rafael Nadal’s earnings are a bit more balanced as $6.4 million of his $31.4 million in total earnings come from his on-court successes.

So far in 2022, Nadal has taken his record of men’s Grand Slam singles titles to 22 with titles at the Australian Open and French Open.

Generational rival Novak Djokovic – banned from two Grand Slams this year due to his unvaccinated status against Covid-19 – is ranked number five by Forbes with $27.1 million in total, including $7.1 million in dollars in field earnings.

British teenager Emma Raducanu has capitalized on her stunning US Open title run in 2021 earning a total of $21.1 million to move her into sixth place.

The 19-year-old won $3.1million from the field but received sponsorship offers after her unlikely success ended the UK’s long wait for a Grand Slam singles champion.

Raducanu has signed deals with Evian, British Airways, Porsche and Tiffany over the past year.

Russian tennis enters the list at number seven in the form of defending US Open champion and current ATP world number one Daniil Medvedev.

The Moscow-born star, 26, has earned $7.3 million from the field – the highest amount on the list – but has increased his annual coffers to $19.3 million thanks to sponsorship with companies such as Lacoste, BMW and the Chinese distillery Guojiao 1573.

Rounding out the top ten were Japanese star Kei Nishikori with $13.2 million ($0.2 million from the field), American veteran Venus Williams with $12 million ($0.03 million from the field ) and rising Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz with $10.9 million ($5.9 million from the field).

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