"Rafael Nadal there when he spent the year eating shrimps on his yacht" - Fans react to top 10 highest-earning tennis players of 2023 list
Tennis icons like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, among others, have been ranked in Forbes' list of the top 10 highest-paid tennis players of 2023.
Every year, Forbes releases its list of some of the highest-paid tennis players. For the making of the list, the magazine took into account the players' earnings from September 2022 to August 2023. Roger Federer and Serena Williams were excluded from the list as they are both now retired players.
23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic tops the chart with over $38.4 million in earnings over the last 12 months. Current ATP World No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz, came very close to the Serb with his $31.4 million in earnings. WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek is the highest-paid female tennis player of 2023 with $22.4 million in earnings.
Surprisingly, Rafael Nadal is also present on the list, despite not playing any professional tennis since January of this year. The Spaniard sits at No. 5.
Other players who have made the cut are, Daniil Medvedev, Coco Gauff, Emma Raducanu, Casper Ruud, Naomi Osaka, and Jessica Pegula.
Soon after the release of the list, tennis fans reacted to the annual earnings list of the players. A fan on Twitter jokingly said how the Spaniard hasn't played much and instead spent his time on vacations and is still in the top 5 highest-paid tennis players of the year.
"Rafa [Rafael Nadal] being there when he spent the year eating shrimps on his yacht ijbol."
Another fan also pointed out that Raducanu, the former US Open winner is on the list despite not playing much due to her injury and also not tasting success since her US Open win in 2021.
"Raducanu making money just by existing."
Tennis fans also questioned the absence of Sinner given that he is sponsored by Gucci, among other brands.
"Surprised Sinner isn’t there tbh, Gucci and cheese just not there yet ig."
Below are a few more fan reactions:
Rafael Nadal recently became the global ambassador of Infosys
Rafael Nadal last played on the tour at the Australian Open, however, injuries have kept him sidelined since then. Earlier this week, the former World No. 1 was spotted in the gym of his tennis academy in Mallorca.
The Spaniard recently signed on to be the global ambassador of Infosys. He turned to social media, reflecting on the same and even expressing his happiness and excitement of joining the tech giant.
"I am very, very excited to announce this partnership with Infosys. Over the years, I have experienced how Infosys helped the players to use technology on tour," Nadal said in a video on his social media handle. "I think Infosys helped to transform our sport and make it super easy for every player on the tour now, creating easy access to all the data and analytics."
Earlier this year, at a press conference Nadal held at his tennis academy, he said that the 2024 season might be his last season on the tour.