Roger Federer beats Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi as the highest-paid athlete in 2020

Roger Federer has become the first tennis player to top Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes in the world. The current scenario due to the coronavirus pandemic meant the earnings of the top athletes across the globe took a huge hit. As per the report, in 2020, the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world raked in a combined $3.6 billion this year, which is 9% below 2019. The figure has also declined for the first time in four years.

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Forbes highest-paid athletes 2020: Roger Federer tops the chart, Cristiano Ronaldo comes second

Roger Federer became the biggest beneficiary of the current financial hit as he took the top spot beating Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona star Lionel Messi. The Swiss star ranked first with earnings of $106 million, most of which came from his extensive portfolio of investments and endorsements. Despite his earnings for tennis being estimated at a paltry $6.3 million, he topped the chart on the back of his whopping $100 million earnings from his off-court activities.

Federer has massive endorsement deals with several top brands like Rolex, Nike, Credit Suisse and Barilla. The biggest endorsement deal under Federer's belt was his 10-year deal worth a reported $300 million with Japanese brand Uniqlo, signed in 2018. The 'Roger Federer career earnings' is estimated to be around $130 million.

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo came in at second with an estimated $105 million earnings in 2020. Cristiano Ronaldo retained his number two spot from last year. Lionel Messi, who topped the charts in 2019, dropped to third with an estimated earning of $104 million in 2020. Messi's former teammate and PSG superstar Neymar and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James round off the top 5.

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Forbes highest-paid athletes 2020: Top 10 highest-paid athletes

• Roger Federer: $106.3 million

• Cristiano Ronaldo: $105 million

• Lionel Messi: $104 million

• Neymar: $95.5 million

• LeBron James: $88.2 million

• Stephen Curry: $74.4 million

• Kevin Durant: $63.9 million

• Tiger Woods: $62.3 million

• Kirk Cousins: $60.5 million

• Carson Wentz: $59.1 million

Also Read | Roger Federer Tops List Of World's Highest-paid Athletes, Cristiano Ronaldo comes second

Forbes highest-paid athletes 2020: Other notable entrants

Former World No. 1 women's tennis player Naomi Osaka is the highest-paid female athletes in Forbes' list for 2020. Osaka was ranked 29th with earnings of $37.4 million. Serena Williams closely followed her at 33rd with $36 million in earnings. UFC star Conor McGregor ($48 million) and Indian men's cricket team's captain Virat Kohli ($26 million) are the lone representatives for mixed martial arts and cricket. Tyson Fury ($57 million) was the highest-earning boxer while LA Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw ($27.3 million) was the only player from MLB to feature in the list. 

Also Read | LeBron James, Steph Curry Among NBA Players In Forbes highest-paid athletes 2020, Roger Federer Tops The List

(Image Credits: ATP Tour Official Website, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi Instagram Handles)