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How did Roger Federer become the richest tennis player in the world – and how does he spend his millions?

Roger Federer is officially the richest tennis player in the world. Photo: AFP

At 38 years of age, Roger Federer is still playing some of the best tennis of his career, and turning it into tournament trophies.

The former world number one is one of the most successful players of all time. He has won the men's singles tournament at Wimbledon alone eight times since 2003, as well as 20 Grand Slam singles titles all over the world.

For me, the ranking, at 37 years old, is no longer really the priority
Roger Federer

Federer is not only one of the most talented athletes on the planet, but also one of the richest. Federer was recently declared the highest-paid tennis player for the 14th straight year, with US$93.4 million from prize money, endorsements and appearance fees in the 12 months ending June 1, according to Forbes.

Federer has won a total of US$123.6 million in prize money to date– slightly less than current world number one Novak Djokovic’s career winnings of US$131.0 million – but this is far from the Swiss master’s only income stream.

As well as tournament winnings, sponsorship deals with companies from Rolex to Credit Suisse also contribute to his wealth – which can only increase after the Swiss star signed a US$300 million sponsorship deal with Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo last year.

Roger Federer celebrates another match point, against Damir Dzuhmur, at the 2019 US Open. Photo: USA Today

Federer has been a force to be reckoned with on the hard courts this year, winning the Dubai Tennis Championships, the Miami Open and reaching the final of Indian Wells Masters. This streak has helped see Federer rise from seventh in the world in February, back up to third today, in the ATP Tour men’s singles rankings.

He's not too interested in his current ranking, though.

“For me, the ranking, at 37 years old, is no longer really the priority,” Federer said at a media event earlier this year. Instead, he’s focusing on his health and winning the big tournaments, which might mean skipping smaller – and less lucrative – events here and there.

His success trails back to the age of eight, when he started playing tennis. Born in Basel, Switzerland, on August 8, 1981, his Swiss father, Robert A Federer, and South African mother, Lynette Du Rand, encouraged him to play from an early age.

Roger Federer as a child. Photo: Sport Attitude/Youtube

His parents both worked for the same pharmaceutical company.

At 14, Federer became the national junior champion in Switzerland. He joined the junior tennis circuit in 1996, and won the Boys' Singles tennis title at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships.

Federer's big break came in 2003, when he won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon against runner-up Mark Philippoussis. He was just 21 at the time, and received £575,000 (US$714,460) for his victory.

Roger Federer won his first Grand Slam in 2003. Photo: Reuters

One year later, he signed a sponsorship deal with watchmaker Maurice Lacroix. Later, Rolex struck an endorsement deal with Federer worth a reported US$15 million.

Here he is wearing an impossible-to-find, US$14,000 Rolex Sky-Dweller in 2018.

 

Federer is one of Rolex's best-known ambassadors, and you won't see him lifting a trophy without one of the luxury watches on his wrist, each of them hand-picked to match the tournament.

He won US$3 million in prize money from tennis tournaments in 2019, bringing his career total prize winnings to more than US$123 million – but this amounts to less than a third of his reported wealth.

The majority of his income is thanks to endorsement deals and partnerships, which he is known for across the globe.

In 2007, he was signed by Gillette, starring in a number of adverts for the razor company.

In 2008, Federer signed a 10-year sponsorship deal with Nike worth almost US$120 million. The partnership ended in March 2018.

Roger Federer wearing Nike. Photo: Reuters

Last summer, Federer made headlines when he swapped Nike for lesser-known Uniqlo in a 10-year deal estimated to be worth US$300 million. The deal with the Japanese brand had been “a long time coming”, Federer said at Wimbledon 2018.

In a recent Uniqlo ad, Federer tried his hand at the piano, and said he’d like to practice more so he can surprise his wife.

In 2009, Federer signed another 10-year contract, this time with Credit Suisse. The firm declined to comment on the contract's value at the time, but it's thought to be worth around US$20 million.

Federer is also known for his charity work. He founded the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003, which has since raised US$40 million and recently hit its goal of educating one million children in Africa by the end of 2018. He still finds time to visit children who benefit from his charity.

 

As a dedicated athlete, he spends a lot of money on his equipment. He has his rackets made by P1, a company which also counts rivals Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray as clients.

He likes the finer things in life, too. In 2014, Federer completed the construction of a modern-looking mansion on Lake Zurich worth around US$8.1 million.

As well as owning other properties in Switzerland, he also keeps a penthouse in Dubai, where he spends much of the year training.

Thanks to his role as a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, Federer also has a large car collection. He partnered with the German manufacturer in 2008 and renewed the deal in 2018. The multi-year partnership is estimated to earn the tennis star US$5 million a year.

When he's not on the court, Federer is a keen hiker. Last year, he appeared on Running Wild with Bear Grylls. “Just slightly upset that he beat me at mini ping-pong on the top of the cliff face,” Grylls said.

That's not to say the athlete doesn't like to party in his downtime. Federer is an ambassador for Moët & Chandon champagne, which recently released a limited-edition bottle to mark his 20th year in professional tennis. The 20 bottles sold for US$23,000 a pop – but all the proceeds went to the Roger Federer Foundation.

 

After winning his eighth Wimbledon title in 2017, Federer complained of a "head-ringing" hangover the day after. "[I] got to bed at 5am, then woke up, and just didn’t feel good,” he said. “The last hour or so I’m somewhat okay again. I'm happy with that."

When Federer goes out for dinner, variety is clearly the spice of life. "I am a lover of Italian, Japanese, and Indian restaurants," he said recently. Federer has also been spotted dining at a Chinese restaurant near his home in Dubai.

Some of his fortune also went on his wedding to former professional tennis player Mirka Vavrinec in Basel, Switzerland. They had their first kiss at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, and got married in 2009, since which she taken the surname Federer.

 

They have two sets of twins together. Daughters Charlene Riva and Myla Rose are 10, while sons Lenny and Leo are five.

His wife is Federer’s primary source of fashion advice. “I used to wear jogging shoes, jeans and a practice shirt, then when Mirka met me, she would look and go, ‘Er, are you sure about this look?’,” he said.

Federer’s worst fashion mistake came when he won Wimbledon in 2007.

“I went to receive the trophy, and as I walk down I'm a bit nervous, and as I put my hands in my pockets I realise that the pockets are going backwards,” he said. “I was like: ‘It’s too late! I can't change them anymore!’ I lifted the trophy, and the pants were on backwards.”

Now officially in his late-thirties, Federer has taken some time to consider his retirement. He recently told a Swiss newspaper that he has bought “an old bus from the ’60s” which he plans to drive around Europe once he has some spare time.

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This article originally appeared on Business Insider.

A mansion in Zurich, a penthouse in Dubai – and a different Rolex for every trophy he wins