Sports Illustrated reveals the top earning non-American Sportsmen – Roger Federer rules all
How much money do sports celebrities earn these days? Is having a career in some sport worth the effort? Are athletes paid well enough? These are some of the frequently asked questions by the public regarding the personal life of various sports athletes. Most people are unaware of the fact that sport yields some of the richest celebrities on planet Earth.
After a lot of effort and work, the renowned American sports magazine, Sports Illustrated, has given out a list of the fifty highest earning non-American sportsmen according to their salary, endorsements, appearance fees and winnings over the past one year. It has been the first time in the history of world sports that the average of the top twenty highest earnings, by non-American athletes, has surpassed the $30 million mark. Hence proving how successful sportsmen are in today’s world.
At the top of the fortunate fifty is none other than Swiss tennis superstar, Roger Federer. His annual earning has been recorded at a grand total of $61,786,110. It is not surprising though, as Federer is considered to be one of the greatest players in tennis history. He has won sixteen grand slam singles titles, which is more than the titles won by any other male player. This former number one has been on the top of tennis rankings for a period of 285 weeks during his career, but has recently fallen to the world number three status for the first time in almost seven years after his poor performance at Wimbledon 2010. He has a record of reaching the semi-final spot or better in 23 consecutive grand slams tournaments. In the past decade, Federer has ruled the world of professional male tennis.
Federer had been considered by many to be immortal in the world of tennis until he was overthrown by Spanish Champion Rafael Nadal. They have both been part of an ongoing rivalry since 2004. Nadal may have been able to beat the great Federer on court but Federer’s riches surpass Nadal by a long way. Nadal is number nine in highest earnings with a total of $27,466,515 which is less than half of what the mighty Federer has locked up in his bank account.
This year, Federer has replaced the famous British football player David Beckham as the number one sportsman in earnings. Beckham has fallen to the third position in the highest earnings with $40,500,000 in his bank for 2010. His extravagant wife Victoria Beckham also known as ‘Posh Spice’ might not be too happy with this.
Lionel Messi, the Argentinean soccer player is on the rise as well as he has secured the number 2 position by making a total of $44 million. However, Messi’s earning still does not come anywhere near to that of Federer’s, who is a good $18 million richer than this remarkable soccer player.
When considering athletes including American sportsmen, Tiger Woods, the American golf player, makes it to the top with a majestic earning of $90,508,163. Still, Federer takes the number two position in world rankings by beating Phil Mickelson who earned $61,660,757.
It has been claimed by many that Roger Federer may be at the brink of his career as a professional tennis player, but his earnings speak otherwise. He is still hailed as a king sportsman, with having more bounty than any other non-American athlete all over the world. It will take a lot of effort to overthrow this ruler, as he is still high up on his throne and out of the reach of many others.
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