Swiss star Roger Federer topped the annual Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s highest-paid athletes of the past year, collecting $106.3 million in pre-tax earrings.
Despite inching closer and closer to retirement, the 38-year-old, 20-time Grand Slam champion currently ranked fourth in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
Federer is the first tennis player to top the list since it was first featured in 1990.
Federer who has won just three majors since 2012 collected a relatively modest $6.3 in winnings on the court, the Swiss icon brought home $100 million in endorsement deals and appearance fees.
Federer, a longtime Nike spokesman, signed a $300 million deal with Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo in 2018, helping him become the only athlete besides Tiger Woods to earn $100 million from sponsorships in one year.
Football stars Cristiano Ronaldo ranking second ($105 million), followed by Lionel Messi ($104 million) and Neymar ($95.5 million). Ronaldo and Messi placed the first three of the previous four years.
LeBron James ($88.2 million) was the highest-ranked American athlete, raking in $60 million from endorsements, followed by former Warriors teammates Stephen Curry ($74.4 million) and Kevin Durant ($63.9 million). Tiger Woods, who topped the Forbes list a record 12 times, had his most memorable year in a decade on the links after winning the 2019 Masters but pulled in just $2.3 million of his $62.3 million in tournament winnings. A pair of unlikely, underwhelming NFL quarterbacks completed the top 10, with Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins earning $60.5 million and Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz taking in $59.1 million.
Naomi Osaka of Japan was at was at No. 29 after setting a record for female athletes with $37.4 millions in earnings over the past 12 months, Serena Williams was No. 33 with $36 million the only two women in the top 100, both tennis players.