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While there is plenty of money to be won on the tennis court, that number can pale in comparison to the amount some pros are earning off court. There is an unlimited number of endorsement opportunities in tennis, from clothing to rackets, watches, beers, and cars, there's tons of money to be made. As the list shows, some players are taking advantage of these opportunities to put them near the top of this list, even when their tennis doesn't. With a little help from Forbes, here are the 10 biggest earners between June 2017 and June 2018.
Source: https://www.kollectaball.com/
Where else would Roger Federer be but at the top of the list? The Swiss legend has a habit of being at the top of lists, and the highest earner on tour for 2018 is no different. Federer had a fairly successful year on court, winning the Australian Open and taking home $12.2 million in prize money, but 2018 was really his year off court. After his switch from Nike to UNIQLO, Federer netted a whopping $65 million in endorsements. This staggering amount of money took him to $77.2 million for the year, miles ahead of 2nd place.
It's no surprise to see Federer's great rival Nadal in second place. The surprising part is just how far he is behind. Federer earned 75% more than Nadal, and it just goes to show the commercial appeal the Swiss has. Nadal actually made more from prize money than Federer in 2018, collecting a total of $14.4 million however, his endorsements earned him far less at $27 million. Having made the final of the 2019 Australian Open, Nadal will be hoping to continue his success on the court throughout 2019.
Not the man you were expecting to see here! We were fully expecting to see either Djokovic or Serena here, but the Japanese maestro has them both beat by quite some distance. Nishikori had an up and down 2018 season on court, with injuries limiting his playing time. This meant he only made $1.6 million through tournament prize money. Nishikori is a massive star in his home country though and lucrative deals with companies such as Asahi, Nissin, Japan Airlines, and NTT saw him earn $33 million in endorsements.
We've had two of the big three and here is the third. Djokovic may have earned far less than Federer and Nadal in 2018, but he had the last laugh by ending the year ranked world number one and taking home two Grand Slam titles. Djokovic's earnings were affected by a big slump for a large part of this period, so expect the Serb to feature much higher on next years list. Djokovic only managed $1.5 million in prize money between June 2017 and June 2018, which is a tiny amount compared to what his earning will be between June 2018 and June 2019. That didn't stop Djokovic earning a handy $22 million in endorsements though, enough to give him 4th place on the list.
Another player who's prize money for the period was well below what would normally be expected. Williams took time out from the game as she gave birth to her daughter, meaning she only collected $62,000 in prize money for the period. Despite barely featuring on the tennis court, Williams remained the highest paid female tennis player thanks to $18 million of endorsements. This year, William's is back on court and you can expect her to be much higher up the list next time around.
Despite a strong season on court, Wozniacki couldn't quite overtake Serena as the highest paid female player. The Dane picked up $7 million in prize money, but her $6 million worth of endorsement deals are still far behind the American's. Wozniacki has some high profile sponsors but will need to achieve continued success on the tennis court to maximize those deals.
Dimitrov had a pretty good time on court between June 2017 and June 2018, and that reflects in the $6.7 million of prize money he won. This, coupled with $6.7 million of endorsements is enough to put Dimitrov at number 7 on the list. The Bulgarian has long threatened to join the elite of men's tennis, but has never quite made it. If he can achieve some sustained success in 2019 then Dimitrov has all the attributes to fly up this list.
Andy Murray spent this period plagued with injuries which have sadly led to his retirement from tennis. The multiple Grand Slam champion still made a tidy sum in 2018 though, with $10.5 million of endorsements making up the majority of his earnings. The Scott announced he will soon be retiring from tennis, and it will be sad to see this wonderful player go.
Given Simona Halep's consistency at the top of the women's game, you might expect her to feature a bit higher up this list. That's not the case though, and instead, it's another American who makes it to number 9 in tennis' top earner. Sloane Stephens claimed a maiden Grand Slam win in 2017 and this coincided with prize money of $5.7 million for the period. Add $5.5 million in endorsements to that and Stephens nets a handsome sum of $11.2 million.
Muguruza claimed her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2017, which helped her towards $5.5 million in prize money. The Venezuelan - Spanish star also has lucrative endorsement deals with Babolat and Rolex among others that earn her another $5.5 million to take her total to $11 million.
