How Roger Federer Became the Highest-Paid Tennis Player in 2021 Despite Playing Only 5 Tournaments?

20-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer, emerged as the highest-paid tennis player in 2021. Even though he didn’t play many matches and his on-court earnings were less than $1 million, the Swiss Maestro managed to earn about $90.6 million in the year, according to Forbes.

Most of Roger Federer’s (about 99%) earnings came from his endorsement and sponsorship deals. Today, he is the brand ambassador of many big firms including the likes of UNIQLO, Wilson, Rolex, Credit Suisse, Sunrise, and others and earns most of his capital from there.

It is because of this reason that despite playing only five tennis tournaments and earning only $0.6 million from them, he raised more money more than both, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, combined.

The top-10 highest-paid tennis players earned majority of their earnings from endorsements only. Together, they earned about $320 out of which Federer alone gained $90 million. Interestingly, he is also the only tennis player to feature in the list of the top-10 highest-paid athletes.

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Roger Federer can earn even much more in 2022

This can just be start for Federer as he might even earn more despite not playing many matches this season as well. He recently invested in On Holding, a Zurich-based shoe-maker company, in 2019. The firm recently completed its initial public offering in the USA and after raising around $622 million, the company’s valuation might shoot to about $6 billion.

As a part of the offering, the company is selling athletic shoes. In addition, the firm collaborated with the former World No.1 player and developed the Roger Pro Tennis Shoes which it currently sells for $200 a pair.

Besides this, since Federer has shares in the company, he will also earn a huge amount of money if its value shoots up. Intriguingly, according to Yahoo Finance estimates, the company’s enterprise value will be about four times in its 2023 sales. If this happens, he might continue to remain the highest-paid tennis players even next year.

Fans haven’t watched Roger Federer on the court since the Wimbledon Championships 2021. He is currently undergoing a knee surgery and thus, his return date is not certain. Will he be able to make a phenomenal comeback?

Also Read: UNIQLO Bags the Sponsorship Rights for Roger Federer’s Laver Cup 2021