Game, set, show me the cash

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Tennis has become the newest money-spinning ‘super sport' thanks to just two men, says Melissa Sleiman.

When Roger Federer lost to Rafael Nadal in this year's Wimbledon final, his runners up cheque of US$690,000 paled in comparison to the US$1.3 million he took home last year after winning the legendary tournament for the fifth consecutive year.

But while Nadal may have stolen his Wimbledon crown and number one world ranking, which Federer, 27, had held onto for four and a half years, the Swiss dynamo, nicknamed ‘Fed Express' could take solace in the estimated US$26 million he'd earned over the past 12 months in global endorsements, according to Forbes magazine. Federer's yearly haul including prize money: a not too shabby $35 million.

Nadal meanwhile may have only earned US$20.5 million in prize money in his entire seven years since going pro, but the 22-year-old Spanish heart throb is already snapping at Federer's heels with sponsorship deals. His annual income has climbed up to an estimated US$18 million, including this year's $6.5 million in prize money.

It may be less than half of Federer's income, but Nadal's earning potential is sky-high due to his young age and mass appeal to the public and sponsors alike.

Both players are being credited with the spectacular renaissance in tennis as a world ‘supersport'. This year's Wimbledon final match was lauded by tennis pundits around the world, with the BBC, who screens the tournament, calling it the most "nail-biting Wimbledon finals ever played".

Such is the popularity of Federer and Nadal that the viewing figures of the longest men's final in Wimbledon history exceeded 13 million in the UK alone, second only to Andre Agassi and Goran Ivanisevic's epic final in 1992.

The renewed interest in tennis, after a fall-off of interest since the halcyon period from the late 70's to the early 90's, has been attributed to Federer and Nadal specifically and has allowed the top players to earn much more than their predecessors.

"The difference in salaries for the top tennis players of today versus 5 years ago has increased an estimate of 20 to 30 percent", says Micky Lawler, Managing Director of the tennis division of global sports marketing agency Octagon, which is based in the US.

Among her clients are top players such as David Ferrer (ranked #5), former champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, Jelena Jankovic (women's #2), and Amelie Mauresmo (former #1). She also sits on the Women's Tennis Association Board of Directors.

Lawler points out that a main cause of the increase is a higher amount of tournament prize money every year. Roger Federer, at age 27, has already surpassed the career prize money earnings of former champion Pete Sampras, who retired in 2002 at the age of 31. Both of them have earned slightly more than US$43 million from playing in tournaments.

Endorsement deals are also generating more money for the current tennis top than they did for their predecessors. "I think the strategy [of sponsors] has become much more selective", Lawler explains. "Rather than signing up 30 players, they're signing up the top players and willing to invest more in them."

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