Comparing Roger Federer's net worth with Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Lionel Messi & other top-earning athletes of all time
Roger Federer won 20 Grand Slams during his career, ranking him third in the list behind the other two members of the Big 3. Novak Djokovic holds the record of 24 Grand Slams followed by Rafael Nadal with 22. Federer's tally includes a record eight Wimbledon titles along with 31 Grand Slam finals, putting him second behind Novak Djokovic's 36 Major finals.
The Swiss retired in 2022 after an illustrious career that spanned over two decades and was marked by a range of titles and brand endorsements. The prize money that accompanied the 20 Grand Slams and multiple Masters titles, coupled with the brand associations with giants like Rolex and Uniqlo, gave Federer a net worth of around $550 million (according to Celebrity Net Worth).
Federer's professional earnings summed up to around $130 million, the third-highest behind Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic yet again.
According to Sportico, Federer was the first tennis player to earn $1 billion, which was the sum total of prize money and endorsements amongst other things. The Swiss is estimated to have retired with earnings of $1.1 billion.
Net worth of other sportspersons
As per Celebrity Net Worth, golfer Tiger Woods' net worth is around $800 million. The NBA's LeBron James has an estimated net worth of $700 million, and Lionel Messi is worth around $650 million.
During the year Federer retired from tennis, owing to inactivity that preceded his actual retirement at the Laver Cup in 2022, his on-court earnings were around $0.7 million while his off-court earnings were $90 million (source: Forbes). In the latter, he was well ahead of sporting titans such as Tiger Woods, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and LeBron James, among others.
As part of his retirement announcement, the Swiss mentioned how generous tennis had been to him and said (via Sportico):
“I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career."
The former World No. 1 left the international tennis arena but still occupies a significant name in lists pertaining to the world's richest athletes.