Federer, Nadal Make Forbes’ Top 100’s List
Federer, Nadal Make Forbes’ Top 100 List
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both made the grade in Forbes’ 2012 list of the world’s most powerful celebrities. Federer was the highest-ranked tennis players at No. 31, followed by Nadal (47), Maria Sharapova (71), Serena Williams (77) and Li Na (87).
Of Federer, Forbes wrote that he “has the most impressive endorsement portfolio in sports with nine sponsors that collectively earn Federer more than $30 million annually including long-term deals with Nike, Rolex, Wilson and Credit Suisse. He also commands more than $1 million per exhibition event. Federer is widely perceived as the greatest tennis player ever. He holds the records for most singles Grand Slam wins (16) and career prize money ($70 million). He appeared in a staggering 18 out of 19 Grand Slam finals between 2005 and 2010.”
Nadal, said Forbes, “has established himself as one of the top tennis players of all-time. He has ranked among the top two in the ATP’s year-end standings for seven straight years. His $48 million in career prize money ranks second only to Roger Federer. He became the first person to win the same tournament eight straight years when he clinched the title at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in April, 2012. Nadal has expanded his endorsement portfolio in recent years and counts Nike, Babolat, Kia Motors, Richard Mille and Bacardi among his sponsors.”