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American tennis star Ryan Harrison is a bit baffled that a tennis player sits on top of the Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes but the game itself isn't making as much money as some other sports do. Roger Federer, a record 20-time Grand Slam champion, landed on the top spot of the annual Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes for the first time this year with $106.3 million in pre-tax earnings.
The list debuted in 1990 and Federer -- arguably the greatest tennis player ever -- became the first tennis player ever to take the No. 1 spot on the prestigious Forbes list. Federer, now ranked at No. 4 in the world, made $6.3 million in prize money and $100 million from endorsements and appearance fees.
"We feel the greatest impact of Roger Federer is yet to come," Uniqlo head of global creative John Jay told Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes, as revealed on Bleacher Report. "Of course, it will be fueled by his status as the greatest of all time, but Roger's ability to bring positive change to the world is his future and ours."
Ryan Harrison suggests something needs to be done while the Big Three are still active
"Insane how the ATP Tour has the most marketable athlete in the world but somehow tennis makes crumbs compared to other sports.
Tennis has never been better and is super lucky to have such great role models, so at what point does the sport as a whole get the money it deserves," Harrison said in a Twitter post.
Players have been urging the governing bodies of tennis to make some changes ever since the Tour got suspended and some have noted prize money needs to be distributed better.Insane how @atptour has the most marketable athlete in the world but somehow tennis makes crumbs compared to other sports.
Tennis has never been better and is super lucky to have such great role models, so at what point does the sport as a whole get the 💰 it deserves https://t.co/yrhpN34mcX — Ryan Harrison (@ryanharrison92) May 29, 2020
Harrison, a former world No. 40, has earned $4,753,741 over the course of his career. After an injury-plagued 2019 campaign, Harrison made his comeback in late-January. Harrison, ranked at No. 452 in the world, didn't make an ideal comeback to tennis as he picked up back-to-back first round losses at the Challenger events in Newport Beach and Dallas.
But the American then lifted his form as he won two matches at the Cleveland Challenger, before he made the round-of-16 at the Delray Beach. In his last tournament played this season, former world No. 40 Ryan Harrison lost his opener in the qualifying event in Acapulco.