Few things are ever permanent in sport, but Forbes' latest list dissecting the top earners in tennis suggests the rich keep getting richer.
Roger Federer has consistently been a monetary mammoth in the modern age and retains his place as the sport's richest athlete. The Swiss star has earned $90million (£76m) over the past 12 months despite not playing competitively since Wimbledon 2021, making him one of the biggest earners in sport.
In fact, his eye-watering earnings are just over 50 per cent more than the rich list runner-up, Naomi Osaka, earned over the past year. The Japanese sensation has also been largely inactive on the court after prioritising her mental health, though she's still raked in around $56.2m (£47.5m).
A whopping $55m (£46.5m) of that comes from sponsorships and off-court endorsements, partnering with major brands like Beats, Mastercard and Levi's, to name a few. Third-place Serena Williams —who will retire from tennis after the upcoming U.S. Open —has a similar split to her earnings and bagged the vast majority of her $35.1m (£29.7m) wages outside of competition.
One might think a star like Rafael Nadal would be higher in the list after clinching both the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year. However, tournament winnings still account for just $6.4m (£5.4m) of the $31.4m (£26.6m) the Spaniard has accrued over the past year (or around 17 per cent).
Those major victories took Nadal to 22 Grand Slam titles, though Novak Djokovic closed back to within one of the record-holder after winning a seventh Wimbledon crown in July. 'Nole' was fourth in last year's list but has fallen to fifth after seeing his earnings drop by more than $10m (£8.5m).
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The Serb won't play this year's U.S. Open due to his unvaccinated status, but Emma Raducanu is in the draw to defend the first major trophy of her career. The 19-year-old may be new to the elite circuit but has capitalised upon last year's surprise triumph in New York and earned $21.1m (£17.9m) since then.
Still, off-court endorsements pay the large portion of her bills considering $18m (£15.2) of that was earned without playing. In fact, 10th-place Carlos Alcaraz is the only athlete to make the top 10 who has earned more on the court (£5m) than he has off of it (£4.2m).
Daniil Medvedev (seventh), Kei Nishikori (eighth) and Venus Williams (ninth) also make the cut as some of the most lucrative tennis talents over the past year. Many of the usual suspects continue to impose themselves among the sport's money monoliths, but a new dynasty of huge earners are beginning to gather momentum.
Forbes' tennis rich list for 2022
1. Roger Federer - $90m (£76m)
2. Naomi Osaka - $56.2m (£47.5m)
3. Serena Williams - $35.1m (£29.7m)
4. Rafael Nadal - $31.4m (£26.6m)
5. Novak Djokovic - $27.1m (£23m)
6. Emma Raducanu - $21.1m (£17.9m)
7. Daniil Medvedev - $19.3m (£16.3m)
8. Kei Nishikori - $13.2m (£11.1m)
9. Venus Williams - $12m (£10.1m)
10. Carlos Alcaraz - $10m (£8.5m)
