Tennis players are some of the highest paid athletes in the world, winning hundreds of thousands, and sometimes even millions, in a single tournament. What’s more, their endorsement deals can be worth big bucks too, further boosting their already brimming bank balances.
But who are the richest men and women to have ever played the game professionally? With Wimbledon just around the corner, we decided to find out…
10. John McEnroe – $100 Million
First on the list is one of the most controversial players of all time, famed not just for his superb tennis abilities, but also for his hot temper!
He won seven Grand Slam singles titles in the 1980s, all of which came at the US Open and Wimbledon, plus he’s won seven Tour Finals and five Davis Cup titles with the US team.
Throughout his career, McEnroe won over $12.5 million in prize money. His personality made him hugely marketable, meaning that he was able to clinch many high-paying sponsorship deals, with companies like Sergio Tacchini, a huge name in 80s tennis.
He is now a commentator, plus owns his own tennis academy.
9. Andre Agassi – $145 Million
Next up comes Andre Agassi, another player who enjoyed considerable success in the 1990s. He has won the Career Grand Slam, as well as an Olympic gold medal.
What’s more, he’s been a part of three Davis Cup winning teams. He retired in 2006 and is married to fellow tennis superstar Steffi Graf.
As you might imagine, Agassi earned a considerable sum of money while playing, winning over $31 million from tournament prize money. He was sponsored by companies like Donnay and Mazda.
Since retiring, he has formed Agassi Graf Holdings, along with his wife, which has made numerous investments.
8. Pete Sampras – $150 Million
Pete Sampras dominated the world of men’s tennis in the 1990s. Throughout his career he managed to win 14 Grand Slam titles, with the French Open being the only one to elude him.
He is particularly remembered for his serve-and-volley play, which played a huge part in him winning seven Wimbledon titles.
Sampras is the fifth-highest earner in ATP Tour history, having won over $43 million during his career. His best year was 1997, when he managed to win a total of $5.7 million.
He was sponsored by Wilson for much of his tennis career, plus he was also sponsored by Nike, Dannon and Pizza Hut, among others.
7. Andy Murray – $165 Million
Sir Andy Murray is a national treasure in the UK, loved by many for finally winning Wimbledon, 77 years after the last Brit won the trophy.
He’s won Wimbledon twice, plus the US Open, and has finished as runner-up at the Australian Open five times, as well as once at the French Open. What’s more, he has two Olympic gold medals.
Murray is the fourth highest earner of all time on the ATP Tour, having won prize money totalling over $61 million throughout his career.
He has also had lucrative deals with some huge brands, including Adidas, Royal Bank of Scotland and Under Armour.
6. Maria Sharapova – $180 Million
Maria Sharapova was one of the most feared players on the women’s tennis circuit, winning all four Grand Slams in her career.
She won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2004, when she was just 17 years old. The former world number one retired in 2020, aged just 32.
Sharapova has earned the third highest amount of prize money ever on the WTA Tour, winning prizes worth nearly $39 million.
The fact that the Russian is so marketable meant that she had many big sponsorship deals, with brands like Motorola, Tiffany and Porsche. She also has her own Nike tennis clothing collection.
5. Rafael Nadal – $200 Million
Next we come to perhaps the greatest clay court player of all time, Rafael Nadal.
The Spaniard has won the French Open a record 13 times, plus he has also won seven other Grand Slams – the US Open four times, Wimbledon twice and the Australian Open once. He’s also an Olympic champion and has won two Tour Finals.
Nadal has won nearly $125 million from prize money, behind only Federer and Djokovic.
He has a deal with Nike, who supply his clothing and footwear, plus has also worked with many other brands, including Emporio Armani and PokerStars. Since 2004, he’s also been a global ambassador for Kia Motors.
4. Serena Williams – $210 Million
Serena Williams is one of the greatest players of all time.
Her tally of 23 Grand Slam singles titles is second only to Margaret Court in the Open Era, and overall, she has won 73 career singles titles. She is also a prolific doubles player, having won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, all alongside her sister Venus.
No female tennis player has won more in prize money than Serena, who has earned more than $94 million over her incredible career so far.
Of course, she’s highly marketable, which adds to her wealth considerably. She currently has endorsement deals with Gatorade, Aston Martin, Beats by Dre, IBM, Intel and more.
3. Novak Djokovic – $220 Million
In third place is Novak Djokovic, the Serbian tennis sensation who, along with Federer and Nadal, has dominated the men’s tennis world for many years.
Nobody in tennis has won more prize money than Djokovic, who has earned just shy of $150 million. If this list was based solely on career earnings, he’d be the richest tennis player in the world. Djokovic has won every Masters 1000 twice and every Slam twice too, which is incredible.
He has also had endorsements with many companies, plus has several business interests, made via his family’s investment company, including a number of restaurants in Serbia called Novak Café & Restaurant.
2. Roger Federer – $450 Million
At number two on the list is Roger Federer, who is often described as the greatest male tennis player of all time.
He’s tied with Nadal for the most Grand Slam wins, with both men having 20. He has won Wimbledon, the most prestigious tournament in tennis, a record eight times.
Federer has earned just over $130 million in prize money, however has earned a huge amount more from endorsements, working with companies like Mercedes-Benz and Nike, plus he also has several business interests.
He’s 7th on Forbes’ list of the highest paid athletes of 2021, ahead of the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Tom Brady.
1. Ion Tiriac – $1.2 Billion
The last name on this list is the one you’re least likely to know.
Ion Tiriac was a tennis player who managed to win one Grand Slam title – the men’s doubles at the 1970 French Open. Before this he was an ice hockey player, representing Romania at the 1964 Winter Olympics.
Tiriac’s enormous net worth comes from his investments.
He founded the first private bank in post-communist Romania, plus also started a number of other businesses in various niches.
He was first included on the Forbes billionaires list in 2007 – no Romanian had been included on the list before.
If you enjoyed this, be sure to check out our list of the richest racing drivers and the richest MMA fighters ever.
