Federer Tops Ronaldo and Messi On Forbes World’s 100 Highest-Paid Athletes List

Roger Federer tops Forbes' yearly positioning of the World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes, as Naomi Osaka turns into the most generously compensated female athlete ever. Federer's positioning as No. 1 denotes the first occasion when a tennis player has held the top spot since the rundown's initiation in 1990. Federer, who was positioned No. 5 on a year ago's rundown, climbed in the positions with $106.3 million in absolute profit in the course of recent months.

With $105 million in earnings, Cristiano Ronaldo remains in the No. 2 spot on Forbes' highest-earning athletes' list, followed by Lionel Messi (No.3), who held No. 1 in 2019. The top five earning athletes are rounded out by Neymar (No. 4) and LeBron James (No. 5), who earned $95.5 million and $88.2 million respectively.

Naomi Osaka's record-breaking $37.4 million in earnings, as previously announced, made her the highest-paid female athlete ever. Osaka surpasses Serena Williams, the world's highest-earning female athlete who previously held the title. Osaka's lucrative deal with Nike, which last year paid her more than $10 million, is just one of many deals she's signed. The tennis player planned to represent Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics, currently postponed until next year. Olympic sponsors such as Procter & Gamble, All Nippon Airways, and Nissin have all penned up the rising star contract.

The two women listed on this year's list are Osaka (No. 29) and Williams (No. 33). It is the highest female depiction on the list since 2016 when both Williams and Maria Sharapova appeared. Williams was the lone female star to join the 2017 and 2019 rankings, while no women did the cut in 2018.

• Roger Federer (tennis): $106.3 million
• Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer): $105 million
• Lionel Messi (soccer): $104 million
• Neymar (soccer): $95.5 million
• LeBron James (basketball): $88.2 million
• Stephen Curry (basketball): $74.4 million
• Kevin Durant (basketball): $63.9 million
• Tiger Woods (golf): $62.3 million
• Kirk Cousins (football): $60.5 million
• Carson Wentz (football): $59.1 million