12th January, 2020
Swiss professional tennis player, Roger Federer is reportedly ‘set to become tennis’ first billionaire’ in 2020, after making a fortune from a combination of prize money as well as endorsements with a range of global brands.
The world number 3 player will also be the fourth sportsperson to join the exclusive club of the richest athletes of all time after Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather.
According to Tennis.com, Federer has already earned £689million, with a further £153m guaranteed from agreed-upon sponsorship contracts in the months and years ahead.
ATP figures state that Federer has racked up £98m in prize money from singles and doubles tournaments. He also made money in major competitions and took part in a South American exhibition tournament during the off-season which brings in £7.6m each year.
But Businessinsider.com claimed it is his commercial success away from the tennis court that has helped him to amass his fortune with sponsorship deals with brands such as Rolex, Uniqlo, Credit Suisse, and Mercedes Benz.
Forbes has also reported that Federer’s annual income has reached a record high of £80m. The figure represents a sizeable increase on the £59m he was estimated to have earned in 2018.
Federer’s three-year sponsorship with Uniqlo, which he penned in 2018, is reportedly worth £23m a year and the 20-time Grand Slam winner previously had a multi-million pound deal with Nike.