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Roger Federer has officially entered one of the most exclusive clubs in global sports: the billionaire athletes. According to Forbes, the Swiss tennis legend is now worth an estimated $1.1 billion, making him the seventh athlete in history to reach this milestone.
Federer, who retired from professional tennis in 2022, has built much of his fortune off the court. While he collected less in prize money than rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal during his career, he dominated earnings through endorsements and business ventures. He was tennis’ highest-paid player for 16 consecutive years, amassing around $1 billion outside of competition.
A major driver of his wealth is his minority stake in the Swiss athletic footwear and apparel company On, which has surged in global popularity. In 2018, Federer also signed a landmark $300 million, 10-year deal with Japanese clothing giant Uniqlo. In 2020, he earned $106.3 million before taxes, more than any other athlete in the world that year.
Federer now becomes only the second tennis player to achieve billionaire status, following Romanian Ion Țiriac. While Țiriac’s wealth came primarily from investments after his playing days, Federer’s fortune represents a blend of brand partnerships, endorsements, and savvy business ventures, cementing his influence far beyond the sport.
The billionaire athlete list includes some of the biggest names across sports: basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and LeBron James, as well as Tiger Woods and former NBA player-turned-businessman Junior Bridgeman. Among them, Woods and James are the only two to have reached billionaire status while still actively competing.
While Federer basks in his financial legacy, the new generation of tennis stars is making its own mark. Forbes revealed that Carlos Alcaraz is the highest-paid active tennis player for the second year in a row, pulling in $48.3 million over the past 12 months. Only Federer, Djokovic, and Naomi Osaka have ever surpassed that figure in a single year.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner ranked second with $47.3 million, nearly doubling his earnings from the previous year. He also pocketed $20.3 million directly from tennis, the third-highest single-year total since Forbes began tracking. Only Djokovic, in 2016 and 2019, has ever topped that mark from prize money alone.
On the women’s side, Coco Gauff came in third on the earnings list with $37.2 million, making her the highest-paid female athlete of the year. Her inclusion ensures that, for the first time since 2010, the top three earners in tennis are all under the age of 30.
In total, the top 10 highest-paid tennis players earned $285 million combined over the past year—a 16% increase from 2023, though still below the record $343 million reached in 2020.
For Federer, the achievement of billionaire status underscores his unmatched ability to transcend tennis, turning a glittering career into a lasting business empire.
