Tennis is one of the most watched sports in the world. It also has some of the best tournaments, particularly the four majors – the French Open, Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open– the highlight of the tennis tour. These competitions offer competitive prize money and have made some of its best players incredible sums of money. So, who is the richest tennis player of all time?
Richest Tennis Players of All Time
1. Ion Tiriac – $1.7 billion
Who is the richest tennis player in the world? If you thought it was Roger or Rafa, your guess is wrong. Ion Tiriac is. He might not be the biggest name in tennis. He doesn’t even come close to the best tennis players of all time, but with a net worth of $1.7 billion, he is the richest tennis player in the world.
A considerable portion of his wealth was made after his playing career, particularly with his investment group, Tirac Investment, which deals with the management of athletes and other ventures like real estate, transport, banking, and more.
During his playing days, he raked $8.5 million in prize money from his tennis tour wins. This sum excludes grand slam wins, as he never won any.
2. Roger Federer – $550 million
The Swiss great is the second richest tennis player with a net worth of $550 million. There are no surprises as Federer’s dominance in the game has resulted in him winning 20 grand slam titles, significantly boosting his net worth.
Federer also attracts lucrative sponsorship deals with brands such as Credit Suisse, Lindt, Sunrise and Jura Elektroapparate, Uniqlo, Wilson, Mercedez Benz, Gillette, Barilla, and many more.
3. Serena Williams – $250 million
She is not just the best female tennis player of all time but also the richest female tennis player, with a net worth of $250 million.
It’s no secret that her on-court superiority, which has seen her win 23 grand slams and countless other tournaments, significantly contributes to her wealth.
Endorsement deals add to it – Serena has sponsorship deals with numerous brands, including Puma, Nike, Gatorade, Aston Martin, Pepsi, and IBM but to name a few.
Serena has also invested in several businesses. Via her firm Serena Ventures, she has invested in up to 60 startups, sits on the board of several companies, and is due to release a children’s book that will further boost her net worth.
4. Novak Djokovic – $220 million
For a long time, the Serb was behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the number of slams, but he’s come into his own and now holds the second-most number of grand slams.
With that, Djokovic has generated huge sums from winning tennis tournaments. His career earnings are estimated to be $156.5 million.
Add this to his lucrative endorsement deals, explaining why he is one of the world’s richest tennis players.
5. Rafael Nadal – $220 million
Christened the King of clay for his clay court dominance, Rafael Nadal is one of the richest tennis players in the world.
He’s won a record-extending 14 Rolland Garros titles, and he raked in $100 million in prize money for his efforts.
Endorsement deals have further boosted his wealth. Naal has endorsement deals with some of the biggest brands in the world, Nike, Kia Motors, and Lanvin, among others.
6. Maria Sharapova – $180 million
The former Russian tennis player’s career might have ended in controversy, but she was one of the most marketable tennis players. Between 2006 and 2016, her endorsement deals enabled her to be the richest female tennis player in that period, with an income of $30 million.
Her ban from tennis in 2016 disrupted her income flow as she lost some of her sponsorship. After her return, the Russian won some brand love back and rebuilt her wealth. As of 2022, her net worth of around $180 million ranks Sharapova among one of the richest tennis players.
She is a five-time grand slam champion and was relatively successful on tour. By the time she retired in 2020, Sharapova had made a whopping $39 million in career earnings.
7. Andre Agassi – $175 million
Andre Agassi is one of the best male tennis players with a calendar and golden slams under his name. He is the only man to have a career golden slam and only the second man to have completed a calendar slam.
Such achievements contributed immensely to his career earnings which stand at $31 million. Like many players, Agassi benefited from endorsement deals from Nike, Adidas, Kia Motors, and others.
8. Andy Murray – $165 million
Murray is the best British tennis player ever and has done enough to become of the richest tennis players. He has fallen far behind the ‘big three’ in grand slam numbers but remains an alluring figure in the sport. A significant portion of his net worth, estimated to be $165 million, is generated through sponsorship deals.
Adidas, Highland Spring, Castore, and Under Armour are some of the brands behind the Scotsman. His career earnings of around $62 million contribute to his wealth.
9. Pete Sampras – $150 million
Once considered one of the greatest male tennis players of all time, after he won 14 grand slams, Sampras has since seen his record dwarfed by the big three, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t make good money in his hay days.
His net worth of around $150 million earns him a place in the top 10 richest tennis players of all time. Sampras retired with $43 million in career earnings and partnered with brands like Pizza Hut, Dannon, and Babolat.
10. John McEnroe – $100 million
Despite his numerous tantrums and fines, John McEnroe was one of the best tennis players of his generation. He completed his career with seven grand slams, 77 singles victories, and 78 major titles.
All this gave him career earnings of around $4.4 million. After his retirement, McEnroe now works as a television pundit.
List of the Richest Tennis Players
- Ion Tiriac – $1.7 billion
- Roger Federer – $550 million
- Serena Williams – $250 Million
- Novak Djokovic – $220 million
- Rafael Nadal – $220 Million
- Maria Sharapova – $180 million
- Andre Agassi – $175 Million
- Andy Murray – $165 Million
- Pete Sampras – $150 Million
- John McEnroe – $100 Million
- Venus Williams – $95 million
- Anna Kournikova – $50 million
- Li Na – $50 million
- Bjorn Borg – $40 million
- Andy Roddick – $40 million
- Agnieszka Radwańska – $25 million
- Billie Jean King – $20 million
- Jim Courier – $18 million
- Chris Evert – $16 million
- Ana Ivanovic – $16 million