Roger Federer pips Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo to world's best paid athlete
by George BellshawRoger Federer has been crowned as the highest-paid athlete in the world for the first time, pipping Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to top spot.
Federer, the world No. 4 from Switzerland, has become the first tennis player to top the list, assembled by Forbes, since its inception in 1990.
He moved from fifth in the 2019 rankings to No. 1 by earning a whopping $106.3million (£86m) in the past 12 months.
Fellow tennis player Naomi Osaka – 29th on the list – had already been confirmed as the highest paid female athlete.
Juventus star Ronaldo, formerly of Manchester United and Real Madrid, was narrowly behind Federer, earning $105m in the last year, with Barcelona’s Messi ($104m) dropping from top spot in 2019 to No. 3.
Forbes athletes rich list top-10
- Federer (tennis) – $106.3m
- Ronaldo (football) – $105m
- Messi (football) – $104m
- Neymar (football) – $95.5m
- James (basketball) – $88.2m
- Curry (basketball) – $74.4m
- Durant (basketball) – $63.9m
- Woods (golf) – $62.3m
- Cousins (American football) – $60.5m
- Wentz (American football) – $59.1m
Neymar, the Paris Saint-Germain attacker, came in fourth, with basketball’s LeBron James completing the top-five.
Boxing’s Tyson Fury is the highest-paid British athlete, at No. 11 on the list ($57m). His British boxing rival Anthony Joshua made the top-20.
Federer’s winnings were only $6.3m but his endorsements totalled a ridiculous $100m – more than Messi and Ronaldo combined.
His ‘Big Three’ rivals Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1 from Serbia, and Rafael Nadal, the world No. 2 from Spain, both made the top-30, with Djokovic at No. 23 and Nadal at No. 27.
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