Roger Federer announces retirement: Swiss marvel’s career earnings are mind-boggling

Swiss marvel Roger Federer burst onto the scene at Wimbledon 2001 where he ended Pete Sampras’ 31-match winning streak in the fourth round of the Grand Slam event. Two years later, Federer secured his first Wimbledon title at the grasscourt major. A champion’s champion, Federer won eight Wimbledon singles titles – the most by any male player at the Championships. Federer’s last appearance in a Grand Slam event also arrived at Wimbledon in 2021.

Fast forwarding the clock to the present, the Swiss marvel is set to retire from competitive tennis after next week’s Laver Cup in London. Age finally seems to catch up with Federer as the Swiss great has decided to bring down the curtain on an incredible career. Federer might be hailed as the greatest of all time by his fans, but the former World No.1 has been eclipsed by his arch-rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

ALSO READ: 103 titles, 20 Grand Slams, 0 retirements: A look back at Roger Federer’s incredible career in numbers

Federer roughly made $1 billion

Federer is placed third on the all-time list of most Grand Slam titles. One of the highest-paid athletes in the modern era, Federer is also behind Djokovic and Nadal in collecting prize money on the court. The 41-year-old has earned $131 million in prize money. However, Federer is miles ahead of his contemporaries and rivals when it comes to making money off the court.

According to a report filed by Forbes, it has been learned that Federer has minted $1 billion (before taxes and agents’ fees) in his glittering career through endorsements and other business ventures. The report stated that Federer earned $90 million in annual off-court earnings which are $10 million more than LeBron James, who secured the second rank on the pitchman list.

Highest-paid tennis player for 17 straight years

The retirement-bound tennis star was ranked seventh on the 2022 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Federer only won $700,000 in prize money at the time. With a total of $106.3 million, Federer became the highest-paid athlete in 2020.

Federer, who remained the highest-paid tennis player for 17 straight years, has $1.1 billion as career earnings prior to taxes and agents’ fees. The whopping total ($1.1 billion) is more than twice Nadal’s ($500 million) and Djokovic’s ($470 million) career earnings.

Federer is one of the seven superstars who have breached the $1 billion mark as active athletes. Barring Federer, the career earnings of LeBron, Floyd Mayweather, Lionel Messi, Phil Mickelson, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods have surpassed $1 billion in the world of sports.

During his prime, Federer used to earn $2 million per event to play tennis in exhibitions and special tournaments. In his retirement statement, the Swiss icon revealed that he will play more tennis in the future but just not in Grand Slams or on the ATP tour.