Rafael Nadal to retire as No. 2 highest-earning tennis player ever
Rafael Nadal will play in the final tennis tournament of his illustrious career this week, taking the court to represent his nation in the 2024 Davis Cup.
The 38-year-old Spaniard — whose 22 Grand Slam titles are second only to Novak Djokovic’s 24 — is one of the winningest players in the history of the sport. He is also one of the highest earning.
Since his professional debut as a 14-year-old in 2001, Nadal has racked up wins and paydays. His career prize money sits at $134,946,100, according to ATP Tour data.
Those earnings make him the second-highest paid tennis player ever, putting him just ahead of rival Roger Federer’s $130.5 million. Only Djokovic’s $185 million in career winnings surpass Nadal’s.
His success on the court also helped pad his bank account off of it. The 14-time French Open champion has raked in an estimated $415 million from endorsements, appearances and other business endeavors over the past 23 years, accoridng to Forbes.
His long list of brand partners include companies like Nike, Kia and Richard Mille.
Nadal’s place on tennis’ all-time prize money leaderboard is safe for the time being. Federer retired in 2022, and No. 4 Andy Murray announced his retirement this summer.
Alexander Zverev is the next closest to catching Nadal, but the ATP world No. 2 has his work cut out for him. The 27-year-old will need to take home a little less than $90 million in prize money in order to overtake Nadal.
Fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz might have the best shot at catching the player he grew up idolizing. Though he is just 21, Alcaraz’s $36 million in prize money already puts him in the top-10 of all time earners.
Ahead of his retirement, here’s where Nadal stands among tennis’ richest players.
Highest-earning tennis players of all time
Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have earned more than half a billion dollars in prize money over the course of their combined careers.
Glyn Kirk | Afp | Getty Images
- Novak Djokovic ($185 million)
- Rafael Nadal ($134.9 million)
- Roger Federer ($130.5 million)
- Andy Murray ($64.8 million)
- Alexander Zverev ($46 million)
- Pete Sampras ($43.2 million)
- Daniil Medvedev ($43 million)
- Stan Wawrinka ($37.2 million)
- Carlos Alcaraz ($36.1 million)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas ($32.1 million)
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