Modern athletes are making stupid sums of money these days. For example, the average NFL player's salary is an astonishing $2.7 million per year, which they are paid by the NFL team that employs them. They get paid that salary whether they perform or not
Individual sports are different. You eat what you kill.
In the case of professional tennis players, there are two ways to earn money: sponsorships and tournament payouts. While the landscape is extremely competitive and those massive 1st place payouts are hard to come by, the reward is substantial.
Money earned on the court is just one piece of the pie. What you do with your money after you earn it is the real separator. Just ask Ion Tiriac.
Without further ado, here are the 30 Richest Tennis Players in the World
1. Ion Tiriac
Net Worth: $1.4 Billion
By the time he retired from his tennis career, Ion Tiriac had made a few million dollars in prize money and commercial sponsorships. He was an accomplished tennis player and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.
With his earnings, Tiritac decided that he wanted to invest his money into his home country of Romania. To do this, he founded Romania’s first private bank – Tiriac Bank, now Tiriac Group. Today, Tiriac has transformed his tennis earnings into more than…one BILLION dollars.
2. Roger Federer
Net Worth: $630 Million
Roger Federer, born in Switzerland in 1981, began playing tennis at just eight years old. He is a legendary tennis player and has won 20 Grand Slam men’s singles titles and eight Wimbledon titles. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Federer partnered with tennis player Stan Wawrinka to win a gold in men’s doubles.
With all of his successes on the court, it’s no wonder that estimates place his prize money earnings alone (outside of sponsorships) at 131 million dollars. It is estimated that Federer also made about 1 billion dollars in sponsorships and partnerships.
Despite this, he is worth only about half of that today. Roger Federer’s estimated net worth is sitting at over $600 million dollars.
3. Serena Williams
Net Worth: $250 Million
Serena Williams announced her retirement from professional tennis after the 2022 US Open. Williams is estimated to have made more than 94 million dollars in prize money throughout her tennis career and millions more in endorsements and partnerships.
Williams is considered one of the greatest women’s tennis players in history, with 23 Grand Slams, 4 Olympic Golds, six Wimbledon wins, and two US Open victories.
During her time as an active player, she partnered with brands like Intel, Gatorade, Pepsi, and many more, which helped cement her finances, making her the richest female tennis player.
4. Novak Djokovic
Net Worth: $220 Million
Novak Djokovic has an estimated net worth of 220 million dollars, much of which he has earned through partnerships and endorsements. Djokovic isn’t yet retired, but he has been disqualified from a few critical tournaments with high financial prizes due to his COVID vaccination status.
Djokovic has made much of his money – an estimated 28 million – through partnerships and endorsements from brands like Lacoste, Adidas, and Peugeot. Previously, Djokovic was partnered with UKG, though rumors say they split because of Djokovic’s vaccination status.
5. Rafael Nadal
Net Worth: $220 Million
Rafael Nadal has made an estimated 125 million dollars in prize money, though he has not retired yet and may earn more. Nadal has 22 Grand Slam titles, won the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice, and the US Open four times.
Aside from prize money, Nadal has earned a significant portion of his money through brand partnerships. He has partnered with Kia since 2006 and has worked with other brands, such as Nike, since he was 13 years old.
6. Maria Sharapova
Net Worth: $190 Million
Maria Sharapova became a professional tennis player at 14 years old in 2001. Since then, she has won 5 Grand Slam titles, a silver Olympic medal, and numerous Open tournaments.
Sharapova was plagued by injuries and a doping scandal throughout her career, which caused her to announce her early retirement in 2020. Before then, she made an estimated 250 million dollars from endorsements with brands such as Nike and Porsche.
7. Pete Sampras
Net Worth: $150 Million
Pete Sampras was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007, four years after his 2003 retirement. During his career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and won Wimbledon seven times. Sampras competed in the Olympics in 1992, though he did not win.
Sampras' net worth of over $150 Million is largely due to real estate investments he has made since retirement. The full breakdown of his net worth can be seen here.
Estimates place Sampras’ prize money earnings at about 43 million dollars. The rest he earned from endorsements with brands like Wilson, Nike, and Pizza Hut.
8. Andre Agassi
Net Worth: $145 Million
Andre Agassi began playing tennis at just three years old. By the time he was 16 years old, Agassi had already gone pro. Throughout his career, Agassi won eight Grand Slam titles, a Wimbledon win, and an Olympic Gold Medal for the United States.
Agassi had a reputation for being flashy and not playing the books during his career. He gained lots of recognition for refusing to play in Wimbledon tournaments because of their dress code.
This attitude and fearless demeanor likely helped him gain sponsorship deals that earned him an estimated 25 million per year. During his career, he worked with American Express, Canon, Nike, Mountain Dew, and many other brands. Agassi also earned more than 30 million dollars in prize money.
9. Steffi Graf
Net Worth: $145 Million
Steffi Graf won her first Olympic medal for tennis at just 15 years old in 1984. She was the first tennis player to ever win a Golden Slam (a grand slam and then an Olympic gold medal in one year calendar year).
After winning about 22 million dollars in prize money, she was forced to retire in 1999 at just 30 years old due to a hamstring injury. She was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.
Before her unfortunate early retirement, Graf had partnerships with Citibank, Opel, Rexona, Adidas, and other brands. These partnerships and numerous victories have placed her on the list as the ninth wealthiest tennis player.
10. Andy Murray
Net Worth: $100 Million
We finish our top 10 of the richest tennis players with Andy Murray of Glasgow, Scotland. He is a still-active tennis player. Despite multiple hip surgeries, Murray has remained a world-class tennis player and even ranked as ESPN’s 43rd best tennis player – moving up nearly 100 spots post-surgery.
Murray has won 3 grand slam titles, including two from Wimbledon. Like many tennis players, the majority of his wealth has come from endorsements, including partnerships with Jaguar, American Express, and Amazon Prime Video.
11. John McEnroe
Net Worth: $100 Million
John McEnroe retired in 2006 after a remarkably long tennis career. He was 46 years old. Before his retirement, McEnroe won seven grand slams. He remains the only tennis player to have simultaneously held the number 1 ranking in singles and doubles.
Estimates state that McEnroe likely won about 4 million dollars in prize money during his career. He also worked as an announcer for tennis matches after his retirement. The rest he earned from sponsorships and brand deals with HEAD, Dunlop, Penn Solinco, Sergio Tacchini, Nike, and Gold Coast.
12. Venus Williams
Net Worth: $95 Million
Venus Williams is the other half of the legendary Williams duo. As Serena Williams’ older sister, Venus is credited with paving the way for her some of Serena’s success.
While Serena is often considered the more successful tennis sister, Venus had some fantastic successes of her own. Venus Williams earned 7 Grand Slam titles, four Olympic Gold medals, and one Silver.
Williams has earned her fair share from prize money, sponsorships, and brand deals, but she has also earned income outside of sports. Williams is the founder of the clothing line EleVen, the interior design company Gardens and Jupiter, and is a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins. Venus Williams net worth is at 95 million dollars.
13. Björn Borg
Net Worth: $80 Million
Before his retirement in 1983 at just 26 years old, Swedish tennis player Björn Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles. While he attempted to return to the sport nine years later, it never took.
Borg is on the list of wealthy tennis players as estimates state that he likely made 600 thousand per year. He earned much of his money from his partnership with Donnay Racquets in the 70s. In his short career, Borg won over 3 million dollars in prize money alone.
14. Anna Kournikova
Net Worth: $60 Million
Anna Kournikova was a successful tennis star that played from 1995 to 2006. It is estimated that she won about 3 million dollars in prize money during her active career. She had endorsements with Adidas, Omea, and Berlei that likely brought in more money.
While the bulk of her earnings is from her tennis career, Kournikova earned her fair share through work after she retired from tennis. She has worked as an American TV show host for shows like The Biggest Loser and America’s Got Talent, which has certainly supported her earnings.
15. Li Na
Net Worth: $60 Million
Li Na’s interest in sports began in badminton, not tennis. She was a talented badminton player, even as a young child. She began to play tennis at just eight years old, which is still much later than other pro athletes.
Throughout her career, Na won two Grand Slam titles and was the first Asian to win the Australian Open. She retired from tennis in 2014 because of recurring knee injuries. After her retirement, she began to work as an ambassador for the Special Olympics, which she still does today.
Li Na earned approximately 6 million dollars from prize winnings and as a salary during her tennis career. She made another 18 million from endorsements per year.
16. Caroline Wozniacki
Net Worth: $50 Million
Another one of the richest tennis players is Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. She retired from tennis in January 2020, citing a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. Before her retirement, Wozniacki won a Grand Slam title for women’s singles in 2018. She competed in three Olympic games, though she never placed.
Wozniacki won approximately 35 million dollars in prize money during her career. She also earned a significant income through partnerships with Adidas, Rolex, Godiva, Turkish Airlines, and many other companies. Today, she makes a living as a commentator for ESPN.
17. Monica Seles
Net Worth: $50 Million
Monica Seles is a nine-time Grand Slam title holder and Olympic Bronze Medalist. She may have won many more titles if not for her tragic attack in 1993. A rabid fan of Steffi Graf’s stabbed her with a nine-inch knife injuring her back.
Seles only played for two more years, and the attack compromised her performance irrevocably.
Before her retirement in 2008, Seles was endorsed by Nike, Fila, and Yonex. Through prize money, Seles acquired about 15 million of her 50 million net worth.
18. Naomi Osaka
Net Worth: $45 Million
Naomi Osaka has earned 4 Grand Slam titles and competed in the Olympics for Japan in 2020, though she did not place. Osaka is a partner of Workday, Nike, Levi’s, Louis Vuitton, Beats, Mastercard, Yonex, and many other brands. Aside from tennis, Osaka says her passion is fashion.
In addition to partnerships and sponsorships, Osaka was a co-host for the Met Gala in 2021. Though her current net worth sits at 45 million, some estimates place her yearly earnings above 50 million. This fact makes her enter the list of rich tennis players. Osaka’s many prestigious partnerships will likely earn her far more as her career progresses.
19. Andy Roddick
Net Worth: $40 Million
Andy Roddick won his first and only Grand Slam title in 2003 at 21 years old. He retired after a short career in singles tennis in 2012. In 2015, he retired from doubles tennis as well. Injuries pulled Roddick away from tennis, but he made a significant income before he left.
Roddick partnered with many brands during and after his career, including Lacoste, Rolex, Microsoft, and Arizona Tea. Aside from endorsements and despite his short-lived career, Roddick earned approximately 21 million from prize money.
20. Ivan Lendl
Net Worth: $40 Million
Ivan Lendl retired in 1994 after a devastating back injury. During his career, he earned eight Grand Slam titles. Lendl was in the final for a Grand Slam for eleven consecutive years. He was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2001.
Lendl earned about 21 million dollars in prize money during his career. The bulk of the rest of his earnings came from sponsorships and endorsements with Adidas and Mizuno.
21. Angelique Kerber
Net Worth: $30 Million
Angelique Kerber of Germany is an active tennis player who has earned three Grand Slam titles and one Olympic Silver so far. She started playing tennis at just three years old and went pro in 2003 at 15.
Kerber has earned about 25 million dollars in prize money during her career. Though she had to miss the 2022 US Open due to pregnancy, Kerber is still partnered with Adidas, Yonex, Porsche, Beurer, Netjets, Schramm, Ole Lynggaard, and Generali.
22. Simona Halep
Net Worth: $30 Million
Simona Halep is still an active tennis player, though she has stated that she may retire soon due to recurring injuries. She has won two Grand Slams, has 22 WTA titles, and played in the Olympics in 2012.
Halep has won about 40 million in prize money. She has also earned significant income through her partnerships with Avon, Nike, Wilson, Hublot, and others. She was also briefly married to billionaire Toni Luruc.
23. Svetlana Kuznetsova
Net Worth: $30 Million
Though she has not officially announced her plans to retire, Svetlana Kuznetsova is a currently inactive tennis player. She has won two Grand Slam titles, appeared in four Grand Slam singles finals, and won the Australian Open twice.
Kuznetsova’s most significant brand deal was with Fila, a clothing company, though she no longer works with the company. She is currently partnered with the Chinese clothing company Qiaodan. Kuznetsova has so far won nearly 26 million in prize money.
24. Agnieszka Radwańska
Net Worth: $25 Million
Agnieszka Radwańska is a remarkable tennis player that has competed in the Olympics three times for Poland before her retirement in 2018. Since the end of her tennis days, Radwańska has begun to run a chain of luxury hotels.
Radwańska earned nearly 28 million in prize money throughout her career. She also made about 2.5 million yearly through brand deals with Lexus, The Cheesecake Factory, Lotto, and many other brands.
25. Lleyton Hewitt
Net Worth: $25 Million
Lleyton Hewitt retired from tennis in 2016. Before he left the tennis court for good, he won two Grand Slam titles and competed in the Olympics for Australia three times, though he was never able to place. At 20 years old, Hewitt became the youngest male to rank as number 1.
Hewitt earned about 21 million in prize money as a tennis star. In the early 2000s, he partnered with Yonex, Sorbent, Microsoft Xbox, and many other brands. Hewitt now works as a professional Tennis commentator and captain for the Australian Davis Cup Team.
26. Martina Hingis
Net Worth: $25 Million
Martina Hingis went pro as a tennis player in 1994. Hingis retired twice before her proper retirement – once due to injury and a second time for a drug scandal. By the time she actually retired in 2017, she had won five Grand Slams and one Olympic Silver Medal. Estimates place her overall prize earnings at 25 million dollars.
Before her initial injury, Hingis was sponsored by Sergio Tacchini. That partnership ended when she sued the company for making defective equipment and causing her injury. After returning to court, she was sponsored by Adidas.
27. Martina Navratilova
Net Worth: $25 Million
Martina Navratilova was a legendary tennis player. She retired in 2006 at 49 years old with 59 Grand Slam crowns, 18 Grand Slam wins, and nine Wimbledon wins. Navratilova played in the Olympics just once, for Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic).
Estimates place Navratilova’s prize money earnings at nearly 22 million dollars. The rest she earned through brand deals, most notably Throlo (an athletic sock company), Denon, Yonex, and Avia athletic shoes.
Navratilova was one of the first publicly gay professional athletes when she came out in 1981. Her dedication to authenticity, honesty, and her inner self lost her millions of dollars in endorsements, but she states that is a decision she does not regret.
28. Stefan Edberg
Net Worth: $25 Million
Stefen Edberg has won 6 Grand Slams for singles tennis and earned two Bronze Olympic Medals for Sweden in Singles and Doubles tennis in Seoul 1988. He was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.
Edberg won about 21 million dollars in prize money throughout his career. As a quiet, less flashy athlete, Edberg did not accumulate the number of sponsorships that his peers did. Edberg primarily represented Wilson and Adidas.
29. Kei Nishikori
Net Worth: $24 Million
Kei Nishikori is still active in tennis and has so far not won a Grand Slam title. He has competed in four Olympic games and earned one bronze medal for Japan in Rio 2016.
Nishikori has earned more than 25 million dollars in prize money and has had numerous sponsorships. His most significant endorsements include Wilson, Proctor & Gamble, Jaguar, Japan Airlines, Uber Eats, Nike, and Nissin, though he has many more.
30. Michael Chang
Net Worth: $22 Million
Michael Chang is an American tennis player who was active from 1988, when he was 15, to 2003, when he was 31. He won one Grand Slam title and played in the Olympics twice, though he did not place.
Chang partnered with many brands throughout his career, including Reebok, Prince, Nissin Foods, Panasonic, Discover Credit, and many more. He won about 19 million in prize earnings- the rest came from sponsorship deals.
Richest Female Tennis Players Ranked
[ninja_tables id=”8678″]Final Thoughts
Here you have the 30 richest tennis players. Though prize money is a not-insignificant earning factor for many individual athletes, endorsements, sponsorships, and partnerships play an essential role in overall wealth. Getting a solid sponsorship deal can make or break an athlete's finances, so it’s no surprise that all 30 tennis players on this list had or have multiple brand deals.
Many tennis stars have gone on to run other businesses, from banks to clothing lines, and it is no surprise that many have managed to grow their wealth after retirement.
