Roger Federer isn't just the arguable GOAT in men's tennis. He's also No. 1 these days in terms of off-court earnings among all sportspeople. The top gun in monetary endorsements breaks out from the Big Four pack he rides in alongside LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with $60 million banked, according to Forbes' new list of the world's highest paid athletes.
It's the relatively paltry—paltry, I tell you—$7.8 million in prize money that pins him behind that trio of athletes overall on the list. Federer, perched at No. 4 among all those appearing on the list, comes out in front of Novak Djokovic (No. 6), Rafael Nadal (No. 21), Kei Nishikori (No. 29) and Andy Murray (No. 74) among tennis players, all of them active.
Among WTA stars, only Serena Williams lands on the list, that at No. 40 between the National Football League's Olivier Vernon and Major League Baseball's Justin Verlander. Williams' showing comes courtesy of $8.9 million in prize money and $20 million in endorsements. The roster includes sportspeople both active and retired—here's to you, Peyton Manning—and reveals just how strong the earnings are for major team-sports performers.
What's more, the only other woman on the list is one Maria Sharapova, No. 88 and currently with a sidelined shriek.
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