Roger Federer is the world’s highest-paid athlete in the world today, the first time a tennis player took the No. 1 spot in Forbes’ annual list of the 100 top earners since its inception in 1990.
Federer, the 38-year-old, 20-time Grand Slam singles champion, earned $106.3 million in the last 12 months — $100 million via endorsements, according to the report.
The suave Swiss edged Cristiano Ronaldo ($105 million) for the top spot on sports money list.
They are closely followed by Lionel Messi ($104 million), Neymar ($95.5 million) and LeBron James ($88.2 million).
This indicates a drastic shakeup at the top because rivals Messi and Ronaldo were Nos. 1 and 2 in 2019, when Federer was fifth.
The highest-ranked woman, as reported last week, is Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka at No. 29 ($37.4 million), who supplanted Serena Williams ($36 million), who is No. 33.
They are the lone women in the top 100, marking the first time multiple women made the list since Williams and the now retired Maria Sharapova in 2016.
