<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Saudi Arabia is set to sponsor the Women&#8217;s Tennis Association&#8217;s rankings for the next five years in the third major tennis deal to be struck in the Kingdom this year, as the country continues its high-dollar push into the world of sports that has so far included a partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/06/06/pga-tour-and-saudi-backed-liv-golf-agree-to-merge/#:~:text=PGA%20Tour%20and%20LIV%20Golf%20signed%20an%20agreement%20to%20combine,%2C%E2%80%9D%20according%20to%20the%20announcement.">PGA</a>, hosting a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/lifestyle/sports/saudi-arabia-to-make-its-formula-one-grand-prix-debut-in-2021" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Formula One Grand Prix</a>&nbsp;and signing the world&#8217;s highest-paid&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/cristiano-ronaldo/">soccer player</a>, among other moves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the national sovereign wealth fund of the country, became the naming-rights partner for the WTA on Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-arabia-wta-rankings-tennis-42fc2c995beac7915eefc367e73f5275" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">multiple</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/05/20/wta-pif-partnership" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">outlets</a>&nbsp;reported.



The deal comes one month after the association&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wtatennis.com/news/3952623/riyadh-selected-as-the-host-of-wta-finals-from-2024-2026" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;its championship series would be held in Riyadh for the next three years and that its prize money would be bumped to a record-breaking $15.25 million, up 70% from 2023.



The decision to host the finals tournament in the Kingdom was a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/hrw/status/1778518445727916207" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">controversial</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/minkyworden/2024/04/05/saudi-arabia-hasnt-earned-womens-tennis-championships/?sh=26375d6b5585">move</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/may/05/saudi-topspin-tennis-fans-overlook-brutal-repression-of-women-catherine-bennett" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">criticized</a>&nbsp;by fans and groups who saw the partnership as a blow to women considering Saudi Arabia’s history of human rights abuses and female oppression.



In February, it was announced Saudi Arabia would also sponsor the ATP men&#8217;s rankings for the next five years and the ATP tour moved its leading tournament for 21-and-under players, set for November, to Jedda.



At the start of the year, top player Rafael Nadal was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/39317652/rafael-nadal-named-ambassador-saudi-tennis-federation" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;as an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, an organization aimed at growing the sport in the region.



Iga Świątek, the No. 1 ranked female tennis player in the world, has remained relatively neutral on the WTA’s partnerships with Saudi Arabia but did&nbsp;<a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/wta-tennis-news-dont-have-any-decision-making-power-iga-swiateks-hopeless-revelation-about-saudi-deal-and-wtas-negotiations-with-coco-gauff-herself-and-top-stars/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">say</a>&nbsp;she thought players &#8220;do not have any decision-making power&#8221; when it comes to the WTA&#8217;s deals.



American player Coco Gauff, currently world No. 3,&nbsp;<a href="https://deadspin.com/wta-tennis-finals-saudi-arabia-gauff-king-evert-1851220631/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">has said</a>&nbsp;while she doesn&#8217;t support the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia, &#8220;I hope that we’re able to make change and improve the quality and engage in the local communities and make a difference.”



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Saudi Arabia has made a series of sudden and expensive moves in the sports world over the last five years, trading massive sums of money for influence and participation on the world stage. Since 2020, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pif.gov.sa/en/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Public Investment Fund</a>, which claims to have $925 billion under management, made investments that established a new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/lifestyle/sports/saudi-arabia-to-make-its-formula-one-grand-prix-debut-in-2021" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Formula One Grand Prix</a>&nbsp;in Jeddah, launched a new golf tour called LIV that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2023/09/28/pga-wants-us-money-as-insurance-for-opposition-of-saudi-takeover/?sh=3785347a3a81">later merged</a>&nbsp;with the PGA, took control of four domestic&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65813662" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">football clubs</a>&nbsp;(including Cristiano Ronaldo&#8217;s Al Nassr), sponsored the 2023 Women’s World Cup and hosted a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/tyson-fury-oleksandr-usyk-live-updates-fight-card-ring-walks-time/xt7fyW7OZW3d/#:~:text=Oleksandr%20Usyk%20defeats%20Tyson%20Fury%20via%20split%20decision&amp;text=The%20Briton%20survived%20a%20standing,as%20114%2D113%20against%20him." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">boxing match</a>&nbsp;between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Saudi Arabia also made an unsuccessful joint bid with Greece and Egypt to host the 2030 Men’s World Cup. Critics have accused the moves of being an attempt to &#8220;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/minkyworden/2023/02/10/saudi-arabias-newest-sportswashing-strategy-sponsorship-of-womens-world-cup/">sportswash</a>&#8221; the country&#8217;s human rights abuse history while trying to enhance its reputation as a world player. The World Economic Forum ranks Saudi Arabia 131st out of 146 countries in its 2023&nbsp;<a href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2023.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Global Gender Gap Report</a>, four places lower than it ranked in 2022. A so-called &#8220;<a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/03/saudi-arabia-personal-status-law-codifies-discrimination-against-women/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Personal Status Law</a>&#8221; implemented in 2022, codified a number of rules that require women to have a male guardian&#8217;s permission to marry or divorce. The country also does not recognize LGBTQ rights and homosexuality is still punishable by imprisonment, death and beating. Saudi Arabia has made recent strides towards a more equitable gender treatment—a decades-old ban on female drivers was lifted in 2018 and child marriages were banned in 2019—but still lags far behind other nations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



$6.3 billion. Saudi Arabia has spent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/26/revealed-saudi-arabia-6bn-spend-on-sportswashing" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">at least</a>&nbsp;that much on sports deals since 2021.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



A number of current and former tennis players have spoken against the partnerships struck by Saudi Arabia in the world of tennis, particularly women&#8217;s tennis. Martina Navratilova, a legendary player who won 59 major titles in the 1970s and 80s, and her greatest rival Chrissie Evert together&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/01/24/evert-navratilova-wta-saudi-arabia/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">wrote an op-ed</a>&nbsp;for the Washington Post titled, “We did not help build women’s tennis for it to be exploited by Saudi Arabia.” Minky Worden, director of global initiatives for Human Rights Watch, wrote “the idea that women’s tennis would go to repressive Saudi Arabia, where the male guardianship system denies women basic human rights, is an offense to the pioneers who made women’s tennis popular. Given the poor state of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, women’s tennis should not contribute to covering up repression in the country.&#8221; Others who did not support the partnerships with Saudi Arabia include&nbsp;<a href="https://www.outsports.com/2024/4/4/24090783/wta-finals-riyadh-saudi-arabia-lgbtq-gay-human-rights-daria-kasatkina/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Daria Kasatkina</a>, an openly gay player who regularly vlogs her travels with her girlfriend.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-contra">CONTRA</h2>



Billie Jean King, a pioneering tennis player who threatened to boycott the U.S. Open in 1973 if it didn&#8217;t pay its male and female winners equally for their victories,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbssports.com/tennis/news/billie-jean-king-says-partnership-between-wta-saudi-arabia-would-be-beneficial-for-both-sides/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">last summer said</a>&nbsp;she supported talks between the women&#8217;s tour and Saudi Arabia. She said hosting WTA events in the country could help further its women&#8217;s rights movement. In October, when it appeared a deal between the tour and Kingdom was likely,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/king-believes-wta-will-go-saudi-arabia-2023-10-19/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">she added</a>, &#8220;The thing I&#8217;m concerned about is the women, I want change if we go. But I&#8217;m big on engagement and inclusion so it&#8217;s a tough one.&#8221;



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Internazionali BNL D’Italia 2024 – Day Four

Saudi Arabia To Sponsor Women’s Tennis Rankings—In Third Major Deal This Year

With Roger Federer following Williams into retirement and Rafael Nadal winding down his career, opportunities abound for young players—on and off the court.



When Holger Rune&nbsp;started watching Rafael Nadal, he was about 7, maybe 8, growing up in Denmark and worshiping the Spanish tennis legend for what Rune calls his “fighting spirit.” Then he started looking up to Roger Federer, for his elegance and his transition game coming to the net.



“If I was going to idolize them, I was trying to idolize them all the way. So I wore the same clothes; I played with the same racket,” Rune tells&nbsp;Forbes, confirming that the mimicry extended to wearing Federer’s signature bandana. “I even tried the one-handed backhand, but luckily my coach told me to stick to your own tennis.”



Rune’s tennis has taken him pretty far—onto practice courts with both Nadal and Federer and into competitive matches against another player he has long admired, world No. 2 Novak Djokovic, whom Rune has actually beaten in two of their three meetings. His game has also sent the 20-year-old skyrocketing to No. 4 in the world rankings, from outside the top 100 at the start of 2022.



And he is not tennis’ only precocious player. A fellow 20-year-old, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, sits atop the ATP Tour’s rankings while 22-year-old Jannik Sinner of Italy and 24-year-old Casper Ruud from Norway are seen as real contenders to win a Grand Slam, whether at this year’s U.S. Open or going forward.



On the women’s side, Polish phenom Iga Swiatek is No. 1 and owns four major titles at age 22, and American Coco Gauff is a 19-year-old rising star who reached the French Open final last year and won the two biggest tournaments of her career this month.



To be sure, no one—whether tournament organizers or broadcast executives or sponsors—is racing to chase Federer, who retired last year, or Nadal, who has said 2024 will likely be his final season, out of the sport. And while Djokovic is 36 and less than a year younger than Nadal, he continues to play at the highest level, winning titles at this year’s Australian Open and French Open and losing to Alcaraz in a thrilling five-set final at Wimbledon. Still, there is a recognition that tennis tends to go through cycles of talent—just as Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi ruled the era before the Big Three—and there is a growing belief that a new generation is ready to fill the void, on and off the court.



“For sure, it’s not the worst time to be in tennis,” Rune says with a smile.



He and his fellow prodigies have quite the tennis shoes to fill. Djokovic has won a record 23 major singles titles, followed by Nadal with 22 and Federer with 20—no other man has won more than 14 (Sampras). Add it all up, and the Big Three have captured 65 of a possible 80 Slams dating to Federer’s first title at Wimbledon in 2003. Their dominance has been so absolute for so long that tennis pundits speak of a “lost generation,” and the numbers back that up: Players younger than Djokovic have won a combined six Grand Slam titles since Federer exploded on the scene, with four of them coming in the last three years (Dominic Thiem in 2020, Daniil Medvedev in 2021 and Alcaraz in 2022 and 2023).



And while she did not have as much company at the top of the sport, Serena Williams, who like Federer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2022/08/09/serena-williams-tennis-retirement-net-worth-earnings/">announced her retirement</a>&nbsp;last year before backtracking somewhat in subsequent interviews, herself piled up 23 major singles titles, a women’s record for tennis’ Open Era.



The four tennis legends have an equally imposing legacy off the court. A mainstay near the top of&nbsp;Forbes’&nbsp;annual list of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/lists/athletes/">world’s highest-paid athletes</a>, the 42-year-old Federer is one of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2022/06/12/billion-dollar-ballers-these-athletes-tiger-woods-lebron-james-federer-messi-ronaldo-mayweather-have-earned-more-than-1-billion-apiece/">just seven athletes</a>&nbsp;with career pre-tax earnings over $1 billion, having cultivated a sponsor portfolio filled nearly top to bottom with premium brands, including Rolex, LVMH and NetJets. “Novak, he tried to be ahead in technology, and Nadal, he just tried to be a little bit different,” Lisa Delpy Neirotti, associate professor of sports management at George Washington University, notes of two players who have crossed $500 million in career earnings. Meanwhile, Williams, who made an estimated $440 million across her career, was a trailblazer among athletes as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2019/06/03/inside-serena-williams-plan-to-ace-venture-investing/">venture investor</a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2022/12/08/serena-williams-feels-your-pain/">startup founder</a>, and transcended the sport into mainstream pop culture, appearing in two Super Bowl commercials in 2023 alone.



Alessandro Barel Di Sant Albano, who represents Gauff at Team8 and has worked with Federer, says Williams and the Big Three “have been the GOATs that have taken the traditional TV-watching fan into thinking about athletes as brands. They’re the pioneers that have taken us to a new way of looking at tennis as more of an entertainment platform, and more than just a sport.”



And all of that is setting aside the societal changes of the last 20 years, starting with the rise of social media. The upshot: The players coming of age today are entering a dramatically different, and increasingly global, sponsorship market, with more brands looking to spend more money on tennis than ever before.



The players have already started to take advantage of sponsorship opportunities, with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2023/08/25/the-worlds-highest-paid-tennis-players-2023/">eight of the sport’s ten highest-paid</a>&nbsp;now under 30. Shoe and apparel companies typically come calling first—often by age 13, Delpy Neirotti notes—but other brands have also seen “a unique opportunity to align themselves with someone who can carry the torch,” says Marijn Bal, Ruud’s agent at IMG. “They know that if they get in early, they can get a lot of bang for their buck.”



So what will it take for a young player to reach the heights that Federer did? It starts with winning, which brings more attention from marketers and can also come with a direct payoff because endorsement deals often carry bonuses—sometimes in the seven figures—for climbing up the rankings or winning Grand Slams. For instance, Emma Raducanu raked in $18 million from endorsements and appearances in 2022, after winning the 2021 U.S. Open as a virtual unknown, and Naomi Osaka’s four major titles helped her eclipse Williams’ earnings record for a female athlete with at least $50 million off the court in both 2021 and 2022.



But “you need continued dominance—you can’t be dominant for just a few months, or a couple of years,” adds John Tobias, an agent at GSE Worldwide. “And it’s also about staying healthy in a really physically demanding sport—basically an 11-month-a-year sport that requires an insane amount of travel, an insane amount of dealing with time zones. Then you have to have the right personality and the right, we say,&nbsp;passport—or you come from the right country—and the ability to communicate with people on a global scale.”



Authenticity remains another important factor, which Bal says starts with “don’t endorse Coca-Cola when you’re drinking Pepsi” but extends to aligning with brands that fit the image you’re trying to cultivate for yourself—the way that Federer made himself synonymous with luxury and Nadal cast himself as a rebel.



In addition, “social responsibility and cause marketing are more important now than they ever were before,” says Joe Favorito, a veteran marketing consultant and former executive with the WTA Tour and the U.S. Tennis Association. While the great Arthur Ashe was once questioned for talking about social issues, Osaka’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement and her statements about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2021/06/02/naomi-osaka-is-the-highest-paid-female-athlete-ever-and-her-french-open-exit-may-actually-help-her/">mental health</a>&nbsp;have made her even more valuable for brands, Favorito says.



Even with all of those boxes checked, there is no guarantee anyone will follow Federer to $1 billion in earnings. Players have to be willing to commit to their off-court endeavors, even amid the grind of the tennis schedule—and the teenaged Gauff, for instance, is taking a slow and steady approach as she develops as a player and a person. The 25-year-old Osaka, meanwhile, was once pegged as a perennial champion but has taken an unexpected detour over the last couple of years because of injuries and a recent pregnancy. “The story arc is never that simple because that’s real life,” says Stuart Duguid, who represents Osaka at Evolve, the talent agency they cofounded. “Life happens.”



Still, the number of talented players hitting their primes at once means exciting times ahead for the sport—and, presumably, for their wealth advisors.



“They all push each other, and they’re all friendly with each other,” Bal says. “[Ruud] got to Toronto early—he practiced with Medvedev, with Rune and with Sinner three consecutive days. So these guys are not shy, they’re playing with each other, they’re pushing each other, and it’s great for the sport.”

Western & Southern Open – Day 8

Tennis’ Big 3 And Serena Won 88 Majors And Made $2.5 Billion. A New Generation Is Ready For Their Shot.

TOPLINE Champion tennis player Naomi Osaka announced Monday afternoon on Twitter that she will withdraw from the French Open after organizers fined her $15,000 over her decision to boycott press conferences during the event for mental health reasons.



KEY FACTS The decision came one day after Roland Garros, the organizer of the French Open, announced that Osaka would be fined for not attending a mandatory press conference Sunday morning in Paris.



Osaka, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, beat out Romanian player Patricia Maria Țig in straight sets Sunday morning, but skipped out on the traditional post-match presser after saying last week that facing media questions can be harmful for athletes’ mental health.



&#8220;I never wanted to be a distraction,&#8221; the 23-year-old said on Twitter Monday, adding that she&#8217;s &#8220;suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018&#8221; and gets &#8220;huge waves of anxiety before&#8221; speaking in press conferences.



CRUCIAL QUOTE &#8220;This isn&#8217;t a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago,&#8221; Osaka said Monday. &#8220;I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.&#8221;



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><a href="https://t.co/LN2ANnoAYD">pic.twitter.com/LN2ANnoAYD</a>&mdash; NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) <a href="https://twitter.com/naomiosaka/status/1399422304854188037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Osaka&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/naomiosaka/status/1397665030015959040?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;on Twitter last week that she would not do any press conferences during the open because she felt they perpetuated a disregard for athletes&#8217; mental health, citing examples of athletes breaking down in a press room after a tough loss. “I believe that the whole situation is&nbsp;kicking a person while they’re down,&nbsp;and I don’t understand the reasoning behind it,” she said. After Osaka didn’t show to the Sunday press conference, organizers of the four Grand Slams—the world’s most prestigious tennis tournaments, including the French and U.S. Opens—said in a statement that “a core element of the Grand Slam regulations is the responsibility of the players to engage with the media, whatever the result of their match.” They also warned that&nbsp;if Osaka further violated any media obligations, she could receive additional fines, as well as face suspension from the Paris tournament and even future&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/statement-from-grand-slam-tournaments-regarding-naomi-osaka" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grand Slam tournament suspensions</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h4>



Osaka received an outpouring of support on social media following her tournament withdrawal, with many people—including celebrities, politicians and fellow athletes—wishing her well and applauding her decision to speak up about mental health. “As athletes we are taught to take care of our body, and perhaps the mental &amp; emotional aspect gets short shrift,” Martina Navratilova, often considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Martina/status/1399443582671540231" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tweeted</a>&nbsp;shortly after Osaka’s announcement. “This is about more than doing or not doing a press conference.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h4>



$37 million. That’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/05/22/naomi-osaka-is-the-highest-paid-female-athlete-ever-topping-serena-williams/?sh=64b43cdf1fd3">how much money</a>&nbsp;Osaka made from May 2019 to May 2020, according to&nbsp;Forbes, making her the highest-paid female athlete of all time.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/30/naomi-osaka-fined-15000-and-faces-suspension-over-boycotting-press-conferences/">Naomi Osaka Fined $15,000 And Faces Suspension Over Boycotting Press Conferences</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2021/05/30/naomi-osaka-fined-15000-for-french-open-media-boycott-repeat-violations-could-mean-default-from-the-tournament/">Naomi Osaka Fined $15,000 For French Open Media Boycott, Repeat Violations Could Mean ‘Default From The Tournament’</a> (Forbes)



By Jonathan Ponciano, Forbes Staff

gettyimages-1198783851-594×594

Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open After Media Boycott Fine

Rafael Nadal, one of the all-time best tennis players with 20 Grand Slam titles under his belt, marked another watershed moment in his career Wednesday when he won his 1,000th tour match.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h3>



With his victory over fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez at the Rolex Paris Masters, Nadal officially won his 1,000th tour-level match.



It took Nadal about 18 years to hit 1,000, having won&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-lopez-paris-2020-wednesday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">his first</a>&nbsp;in Mallorca, Spain in 2002.



Nadal is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-lopez-paris-2020-wednesday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">only the fourth</a>&nbsp;tennis pro in history to hit four-figure wins, following i greats like Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Nadal rival Roger Federer, according to the ATP Tour.



Just last month, Nadal won the French Open, giving him his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2020/10/11/rafael-nadal-destroys-novak-djokovic-for-13th-french-open-title-record-tying-20th-grand-slam/?sh=31c96fa56044">20th Grand Slam title</a>&nbsp;and tying him with Federer for the male player with the most Grand Slam titles in history.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



“[Winning 1,000 matches] means that I am old. That means that I played well for such a very long time,” Nadal said, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-lopez-paris-2020-wednesday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the tour</a>. “I have been playing well for a lot of years and [that] is something that makes me feel happy.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



Besides his wins on the court, Nadal is one of the most commercially successful athletes.&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;ranked him in May at #27 of the world’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/athletes/#56c1475a55ae">top-paid athletes</a>, with an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/athletes/#4f7fab7255ae">$40 million</a>&nbsp;in earnings up to that point in 2020. Since going professional in 2001, he has collected&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/rafael-nadal/?sh=330d25ba1bb0">$121 million</a>&nbsp;in prize money and can fetch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/rafael-nadal/?sh=330d25ba1bb0">seven-figure fees</a>&nbsp;for appearances, according to&nbsp;Forbes.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2020/10/11/rafael-nadal-destroys-novak-djokovic-for-13th-french-open-title-record-tying-20th-grand-slam/#:~:text=The%20No.,the%20all%2Dtime%20men's%20list.">Rafael Nadal Destroys Novak Djokovic For 13th French Open Title, Record-Tying 20th Grand Slam</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/10/11/tennis-goat-rafael-nadal-vs-roger-federer-by-the-numbers/?sh=9b4ace840b3c">Tennis’ GOAT? Rafael Nadal Vs. Roger Federer, By The Numbers</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



-By Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff

Rolex Paris Masters – Day Three

Rafael Nadal Marks 1,000th Career Win

Miami Open 2019 – Day 3

The Highest-Paid Tennis Players 2020: They Are Barely Playing, But The Top 10 Pros Still Earned $340 Million

Roger Federer has landed the top spot on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/athletes/">the annual&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;list of the highest-paid athletes</a>&nbsp;for the first time this year with $106.3 million in pre-tax earnings. The Swiss ace is the first tennis player to take the No. 1 rank since the list debuted in 1990.



Federer’s haul includes $6.3 million in prize money and $100 million from endorsements and appearance fees, lifting him from the No. 5 spot he held in 2019 and beating his previous high of second place in 2013.



“His brand is pristine,” says David Carter, a sports business professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business, “which is why those that can afford to align with him clamor to do so.”



Federer’s endorsement portfolio is unmatched among active athletes, with 13 brands including Barilla, Moet &amp; Chandon and Rimowa paying between $3 million and $30 million to associate themselves with the 20-time Grand Slam champ. The 38-year-old and golfer Tiger Woods are the only two active athletes to have hit $100 million in a single year from sponsorships alone.



Federer’s on-court résumé is the stuff of legend, with the men’s records for most Slam titles and most weeks ranked No. 1 (310). The consistency is staggering. He ranked in the top three for 750 straight weeks—almost 15 years—and qualified for 18 out of 19 Slam finals between 2005 and 2010.



Call it the Jordan playbook, the blueprint for global domination chronicled in ESPN’s ten-part documentary on the basketball great, The Last Dance: command a sport with a global audience for years; appeal to both men and women; stay out of trouble; add in a dose of swagger and a dash of charisma. It made Michael Jordan the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/04/17/the-inside-story-of-how-michael-jordan-became-the-worlds-richest-athlete/">richest athlete on the planet</a> and the first billionaire athlete. Even in retirement, he continues to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/05/03/michael-jordans-1-billion-nike-endorsement-is-the-biggest-bargain-in-sports/">collect endorsement checks</a> rivaling those of Federer and Woods thanks to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2019/08/28/the-nbas-richest-shoe-deals-lebron-kobe-and-durant-are-still-no-match-for-michael-jordan/">his massive cut of Nike Jordan Brand sneaker sales</a>.



The three breathe a rarefied air, reserved for the most elite competitors. Jordan had the No. 1 spot on the&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;list six times during his 13-year career with the Chicago Bulls, eventually giving up the mantle to Woods after he retired from the Bulls in 1998. (Formula One’s Michael Schumacher held the crown for two years between Woods and Jordan.) Woods went on to collect more than $100 million annually off the course at his peak, landing at the top of&nbsp;Forbes’ highest-paid athlete ranking a record 12 times until he broke stride, landing in hot water over an infidelity scandal while injuries contributed to a decade-long majors title drought on the links.



Federer, while seizing the top spot late in his career, is showing no signs of slowing down. His latest partnership is with Swiss startup running shoe On, whose headquarters sit close to the new home the tennis star is building on Lake Zurich. A renowned sneakerhead, Federer will endorse the brand, whose sales have been <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2020/01/on-the-fastest-growing-sneaker-company-youve-never-heard-of.html" target="_blank">doubling annually since its 2010 launch</a>, and also invested in the company in return for an equity stake that one source called “significant,” a partnership that could have serious upside for Federer.



Another sign of his command of the off-court side hustle: Once companies align themselves with him, they almost never leave. Rolex, Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz and Wilson have all been on Team Fed for more than a decade. The exception? Jordan’s Nike.



Federer stunned the tennis world in 2018 when he split from the sneaker giant after 20 years and joined with apparel brand Uniqlo. The chain, part of Fast Retailing, made an offer he couldn’t turn down, promising $300 million over ten years whether he was playing tennis or not and leaving open a slot for a shoe deal like the one with On since the Japanese giant doesn’t make sneakers.



The length and terms of the deal raised eyebrows given that Federer was about to turn 37 when he signed it. At that age, almost all tennis players have long since retired—a detail that meant little to the long game the retailer is eyeing.



“We feel the greatest impact of Roger Federer is yet to come,” says Uniqlo’s head of global creative John Jay. “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.”



The company hopes Federer can hold the same kind of appeal Jordan still has long after he launched his last jump shot. Already, tennis clubs in Europe are flooded with kids wearing “RF” hats, the logo that Nike controlled for two years after the split but is back in Federer’s hands and is the foundation for future licensing deals.



It wasn’t his only shrewd move. Federer took more control of his brand when he left the IMG sports firm with longtime agent Tony Godsick to launch their own operation in 2013, dubbed TEAM8. Current clients include male tennis pros Juan Martin del Potro and Alexander Zverev, 16-year-old rising star Coco Gauff and New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. TEAM8 also found success with the creation of a new annual event, the Laver Cup, which matches a team from Europe versus the rest of the world in a competition that is comparable to golf’s Ryder Cup.



Federer has other levers in the sport that even Jordan doesn’t have. He is a hot commodity for organizers of smaller tournaments that pay appearance fees for top players to show up; a men’s event without one of the Big Three—Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic—is a tough sell. Federer commands the top rate of more than $1 million per stop. Then there are the exhibition tours—a mix of tennis and show business—in places that have no major event to offer. He did a five-stop swing through Latin America in November that added more than $15 million to his bank account, including a match versus Zverev in a bullfighting stadium in Mexico City that attracted 42,517 fans, a record to watch a tennis match.



Federer has used his platform and cash to focus on educating children in Africa, with his namesake foundation spending $52 million to aid 1.5 million kids. He’s teamed with Bill Gates in charity matches three times; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracywang/2020/02/04/bill-gates-doubles-up-with-tennis-legend-roger-federer-for-much-anticipated-charity-match-in-south-africa/#5a2c77e41b92">latest “Match for Africa”</a>&nbsp;featured Gates and Federer versus Nadal and&nbsp;The Daily Show&nbsp;host Trevor Noah in South Africa, where Federer’s mother was born. The February event raised $3.7 million.



Federer is the GOAT, both on and off the court.



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/">Kurt Badenhausen</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sportsmoney">SportsMoney</a>

gettyimages-1199253351-594×594

Roger Federer Tops World’s Highest-Paid Athletes: Tennis Ace Scores First No. 1 Payday With $106 Million

The 22-year-old Japanese tennis player racked up $37 million in earnings in the past year, more than any other female athlete in history.



Naomi Osaka was only a year old when Serena Williams won her first grand slam title in 1999. Nineteen years later, Osaka beat Williams at the U.S. Open finals to win her first grand slam. It was one of the most controversial matches in Open history involving three code violations called against Williams. Now the 22-year-old ace has beaten her legendary rival once again, this time for bragging rights as the highest-paid female athlete in the world.



Osaka earned $37.4 million the last 12 months from prize money and endorsements, $1.4 million more than Serena, setting an all-time earnings record for any female athlete in a single year; Maria Sharapova held the prior record with $29.7 million in 2015.



Osaka ranks No. 29 among the 100 highest-paid athletes, while Williams is No. 33. It’s the first time since 2016 that two women have made the ranks of the top 100 highest paid athletes, with the full 2020 list set for release next week.



“To those outside the tennis world, Osaka is a relatively fresh face with a great back story,” says David Carter, a sports business professor at USC Marshall School of Business. “Combine that with being youthful and bicultural, two attributes that help her resonate with younger, global audiences, and the result is the emergence of a global sports marketing icon.”



The ascension puts an end to a decisive winning streak for Williams, who has been the world’s highest-paid female athlete each of the past four years, with annual pre-tax income ranging from $18 million to $29 million. The 23-time grand slam champion has collected almost $300 million during her career from endorsers who have swarmed the 38-year-old star.



Osaka’s rise to the head of the charts was a perfect&nbsp; convergence of several factors. She first proved herself on the court, with back-to-back grand slam titles at the 2018 U.S. Open and 2019 Australian Open. That plus her heritage—a Japanese mother and Haitian-American father—helped separate her from the pack; at only 20 when she won her Open title, she had a cool factor and engaging personality.



Osaka’s roots are crucial to her endorsement stardom. She was born in Japan. When she was three, she and her family moved to the U.S., settling on Long Island and then heading to Florida; older sister, Mari, also plays on the pro circuit.



She turned pro in 2014, a month before her 16th birthday. She cracked the WTA’s top 40 in 2016 and won her first title in March 2018 at Indian Wells. In the 12 months that followed, she became the first Japanese player to win a slam, and first Asian tennis player ever to be ranked No. 1 in the world.



Osaka maintains dual citizenship but made the wise choice to represent Japan ahead of the since-postponed Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. The decision made her an even hotter commodity for Olympic sponsors, like Procter &amp; Gamble, All Nippon Airways and Nissin, who signed endorsement deals with Osaka to use her around marketing for the Games, now scheduled for summer 2021. She is expected to be one of the faces of the Olympics that had triggered<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.olympic.org/news/unprecedented-levels-of-excitement-around-the-olympic-games-tokyo-2020" target="_blank"> unprecedented levels of excitement</a> among the Japanese public before the coronavirus.



A Decade Of Highest-Paid Female Athletes



Tennis has been a winning strategy for highest-paid female athletes. Before Naomi Osaka arrived on the scene, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams were the top earning women of the decade, holding the top spot for five and four years, respectively.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Tennis-earnings.png" alt="" class="wp-image-45395" width="688" height="447" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Tennis-earnings.png 755w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Tennis-earnings-300x195.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Tennis-earnings-600x391.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px" /></figure>



The last top-earning female athlete, outside of Williams and Sharapova, was Serena’s sister Venus in 2003. Tennis remains the only route for women to rank among the top-paid male sports stars. Sharapova, Li Na, Serena, and now Osaka are the only females to rank among the 100 top earners in sports since 2012. The highest-paid female athlete every year since Forbes started tracking the data in 1990 has been a tennis player, with Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis the top earners most of the 1990s. 



Tennis players are walking billboards in the only major global sport where men and women have some level of equality in their paychecks, thanks to similarly sized audiences tuning in to watch tournaments. Prize money at the four grand slam events has been even since 2007, although men still earn more at lower level tourneys.



The demographics of the tennis fan make sponsoring top players attractive for brands. At the U.S. Open last year, attendance skewed in favor of women by a ratio of 56 to 44, a rarity at big time sporting events; 78% held at least a bachelor’s degree versus 35% for the U.S. overall; the average household income was $216,000. This is a group with significant disposable income, ready to buy apparel, sporting equipment, cars, watches and financial services.



Steering Osaka’s brand is tennis powerhouse agency IMG, which leaned on its history with breakout female tennis stars when Osaka started blowing up, having represented Maria Sharapova and Li. Stuart Duguid is her lead agent at IMG.



The apparel deal is almost always the biggest endorsement for tennis stars, and Osaka’s timing was perfect there as well, as she hit the open market just after winning two grand slams. It triggered a free agency bidding war between Nike and Adidas—her previous apparel sponsor. The Swoosh emerged on top and paid her more than $10 million last year in an agreement that runs through 2025.



Osaka secured an extremely rare but lucrative provision in her Nike contract. The sportswear giant always requires its tennis players to be clad in Nike gear from head to toe, without any other logos on their shirts or hats. This is lucrative real estate for marketers, as cameras focus closely on the player as they serve or get set to return serve.



Nike never made an exemption for Serena, Sharapova, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi or any of the other marketable tennis stars in their stable. The only exception until last year was China’s Li Na; Osaka was the second, thanks to massive leverage with Sharapova headed for retirement and Williams turning 39 this year. Her “patch” deals are with All Nippon Airways, MasterCard and ramen noodle maker Nissin Foods.



Nike plans to launch an Osaka streetwear line in Japan in the fourth quarter, featuring hoodies, leggings and shirts, as well as a new collection each season. There will not be any tennis apparel.



Osaka now has 15 endorsement partners, including global brands like Nissan Motor, Shiseido and Yonex, whose tennis racquets she has used for more than a decade; almost all are worth seven-figures annually.&nbsp;



Sharapova was 17 when she defeated Williams to win the 2004 Wimbledon crown. IMG quickly mobilized to lock up lucrative long-term deals for the Russian, who ranked as the highest-paid female athlete for 11 years before injuries and a suspension for taking a banned substance dented her earnings.



IMG got an education on marketing a female Asian tennis star with China’s Li. She was the first grand slam singles champion from Asia, man or woman, when she captured the 2011 French Open at age 29. IMG quickly secured seven multi-million deals, pushing her off-court earnings from $2 million to $20 million. She challenged Sharapova as the sport’s top earner until her retirement in 2014.



IMG used its expertise in Japan with Kei Nishikori, who has never won a grand slam but is the most successful Japanese male player ever, resulting in an endorsement portfolio worth $30 million a year.



Sharapova, Li and Nishikori paved the way for Osaka’s marketing breakthrough. “We were fortunate to have a very sophisticated office in Tokyo that already had the experience with Kei,” IMG’s head of tennis Max Eisenbud told&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;last year. “The relationships in that region are important.”



With plenty of endorsement cash, Osaka<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2019/08/23/business-is-booming-for-tennis-ace-naomi-osaka/#b711e54904de"> partnered with several brands</a> last year, with significant equity components, including emerging sports drink BodyArmor and Hyperice, which makes recovery and movement products.



BodyArmor marketing exec Mike Fedele says Osaka was one of inspirations for its “Only You” ad campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/timnewcomb/2020/05/20/naomi-osaka-shares-on-endorsements-bodyarmor-her-struggles-and-cooking/#a06627639a84">launched this week</a>. “Naomi is fiercely dedicated to perfecting her game on the court and a huge part of that is what she does off the court with her training, nutrition and hydration,”he says.



“I’m really interested in seeing a young business grow and adding value to that process,” Osaka told&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;last year. “I tasked my team with finding brands that align with my personality and my interests.”



Brands are lining up to get into the Naomi Osaka business.



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/">Kurt Badenhausen</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sportsmoney">SportsMoney</a>

Naomi Osaka Is The Highest-Paid Athlete Ever, Topping Serena Williams

Doubles match full view – Christiaan Kotze

An Evening When The Stars Descended With Racquets: Federer And Nadal Faced-Off On African Soil For The Mother Of All Tennis Matches

The 16-year-old dreams of lifting the French Open title in the future, but also hopes to inspire a generation of black players to take up tennis.



Khololwam Montsi, 16, a rising star of South African
tennis, recently broke into the list of top 20 junior tennis players in the
world after an excellent year that has seen him take part in tournaments in
Australia, Paraguay, Brazil, Italy, Belgium and Japan, as well as take the
South African circuit by storm. 



The young prodigy trains at the Anthony Harris Tennis
Academy in Cape Town, the same facility that developed Lloyd Harris into a top
100 player on the men’s senior ATP circuit.



Montsi was not actually all that interested in tennis
until his older brother, Sipho, took up the game.



“I
was focussed on karate and squash, those were my two main sports,” he tells
FORBES AFRICA. 



“But when I saw my brother playing tennis, I also wanted to join in. You know what it is like when you have an older brother, you want to follow him and impress him. 



“At that time, I was representing South Africa in karate, but I decided to drop the sport for tennis because I started to enjoy it more, was getting better and doing well in tournaments. It motivated me a lot. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“I come from a very sporty background, my father, Xolani, played rugby and soccer; my mother, Phumla, was a sprinter. When I was younger, I did everything – rugby, soccer, cricket, swimming, athletics, the lot. I just love to compete.” </blockquote>



Montsi has developed quickly and, despite his
relatively short frame, excelled with racquet in hand to emerge as arguably
South Africa’s leading young talent.



“For
me, since I am usually always playing against guys bigger than me, my game is
not all about power,” he says. “My strength comes from my mind, I feel like I’m
smarter than everybody else on court. I can pull off any shot. 



“I
read the game really well for someone of this age. I play two shots ahead of my
opponents and can hit the ball into areas where I know where they will return
it to me. That gives me an advantage to be ready. It is the big strength in my
game.



“I
would love to win the French Open, I’m a big fan of clay courts, you get more
time to play. It is better for me at my height.”



And as for his personal role model?



READ MORE: <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/lists/2019/08/28/the-highest-paid-tennis-players-2019-roger-federer-scores-a-record-93-million/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Highest-Paid Tennis Players 2019: Roger Federer Scores A Record $93 Million (opens in a new tab)">The Highest-Paid Tennis Players 2019: Roger Federer Scores A Record $93 Million</a>



“I
would take a few players and combine that. I love Rafa Nadal, he never gives
up. I love [Novak] Djokovic, the way he moves across court and is super flexible.
Then someone like [Gael] Monfils for the way he can pull off amazing shots.”



South
Africa has lacked a black player on the singles circuit and Montsi is hopeful
he will break the mould, saying he takes great satisfaction from being a
pioneer. 



“I
want to lift up tennis as a black boy. We do not see tennis as a big sport in
South Africa, barely any black kids play. I don’t want to put pressure on
myself, but I do feel a responsibility to help black tennis players get
opportunities.



“I play for myself, my family, my coaches and for black people. I would like to help grow the game in South Africa for them. It would be cool if I could help get more people to start playing tennis.”



The
obvious question is how he juggles traveling the world and his school work, but
Montsi has found a solution. 



“I
do online home-schooling, which means I can do all my work at tournaments,
anywhere in the world as long as I have my laptop. It is tough to balance the
two, it takes a lot of discipline. 



“I do sometimes think, ‘I’m tired today, I won’t do it’ and I was behind for quite a while, but with the home-schooling system, it is perfect, I have caught up quickly.”



Montsi
is preparing for the Australian Junior Open in January, the start of a busy
year that will hopefully also see him take part in the senior ATP Tour at some
stage.



“To be the first black African to win a Junior Grand Slam would be amazing for me,” he says, adding his future success may depend on funding. “To become a successful tennis player, you need financial support to get to tournaments. I am being helped a lot, but things can change quickly. I do see myself playing on the pro-circuit, that is my dream. I feel like I can keep my tennis up, but if the finances aren’t there.”



By Nick Said

Kholo_Montsi4

Playing Two Shots Ahead

Roger Federer,&nbsp;Novak Djokovic&nbsp;and&nbsp;Rafael Nadal&nbsp;are kicking off play at the U.S. Open as the three favorites to win the title and take home a Grand Slam-record $3.85 million payday as the singles champion. The Big Three are a good bet, having captured 53 out of 63 Slams since the start of 2004, including the last 11.



The on-court dominance has produced a combined $373 million in career prize money for the trio, light years ahead of their peers. But the money off the court is even sweeter for Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, to the tune of a cumulative $1.2 billion during their careers from endorsement partners and appearance fees.



Federer is the highest-paid tennis player for the 14th straight year, with $93.4 million from prize money, endorsements and appearance fees in the 12 months ending June 1. It is a record tally by a tennis player.



READ MORE | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Inside Serena Williams’ Plan To Ace Venture Investing (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2019/06/05/inside-serena-williams-plan-to-ace-venture-investing/" target="_blank">Inside Serena Williams’ Plan To Ace Venture Investing</a>



His sponsor portfolio is unmatched in sports, with a dozen partners together paying him more than $60 million a year, well ahead of other global sports icons like&nbsp;Tiger Woods,&nbsp;LeBron James&nbsp;and&nbsp;Cristiano Ronaldo. 



Credit Federer’s long run at the top—his Slam titles span 15 years—and the strong demographics of tennis fans, who spend heavily on equipment, apparel, cars, watches and financial services. The global nature of the sport also allows brands to use the players in marketing around the world.



Federer turned 38 this month, and Father Time will catch up at some point, but Japanese apparel brand Uniqlo is&nbsp;betting $300 million&nbsp;that Federer will continue to resonate with fans long after he hangs up his racket. 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbeswomanafrica.com/wealth/2019/08/26/business-is-booming-for-tennis-ace-naomi-osaka-on-track-to-be-the-highest-paid-female-athlete/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Business Is Booming For Tennis Ace Naomi Osaka, On Track To Be The Highest-Paid Female Athlete (opens in a new tab)">Business Is Booming For Tennis Ace Naomi Osaka, On Track To Be The Highest-Paid Female Athlete</a>



After two decades with Nike, Federer signed a ten-year deal with Uniqlo last year that is guaranteed whether he is playing or not. In the coming months, Federer will also likely take back control of his RF logo, which stayed with Nike after their split.



After a two-year Slam drought, Djokovic has roared back to capture four of the past five majors. The titles helped push his 12-month earnings to $50.6 million, including $30 million off the court from appearances and sponsors Lacoste, Head, Asics, Seiko, NetJets and Ultimate Software. He ranks as the second-highest-paid tennis player.



Rounding out the top five players are&nbsp;Kei Nishikori&nbsp;($37.3 million), Nadal ($35 million) and&nbsp;Serena Williams&nbsp;($29.2 million).



Tennis is the only major sport in which women and men are in the same zip code in terms of earnings. The U.S. Open was the first Slam to offer equal payouts for the men’s and women’s events, and now each of the four Slams has equal pay. While Williams was the only woman to crack&nbsp;Forbes&#8216; 100&nbsp;highest-paid athletes&nbsp;this year, the top ten earners in tennis are split evenly between men and women.



The top ten collectively made $312 million,&nbsp;up 23% from last year, fueled by huge gains by Federer, Djokovic and&nbsp;Naomi Osaka. See the full top ten below.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">10. Sloane Stephens</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/1142602393/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="Mutua Madrid Open Masters v day 7"/><figcaption>GETTY IMAGES</figcaption></figure>



Total earnings: $9.6 million



Prize money: $4.1 million



Endorsements: $5.5 million



The 2017 U.S. Open champion returns to Flushing Meadows this year&nbsp;wearing a tennis shoe&nbsp;based on the “Aqua” colorway of Nike’s retro Air Jordan VIII. Her Nike pact, which began last year, is one of the biggest in the sport. Stephens recently announced her engagement to soccer star Jozy Altidore.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">9. Simona Halep</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/1163387350/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="The Championships - Wimbledon 2019"/><figcaption>CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES</figcaption></figure>



Total earnings: $10.2 million



Prize money: $6.2 million



Endorsements: $4 million



Halep has won only one event in 2019, but it was a big one: Wimbledon, and its $3 million payday, her second career Grand Slam title. The Romanian pro counts Nike, Wilson, Mercedes-Benz and Hublot among her sponsors.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">8. Angelique Kerber</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/1158622069/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="Nature Valley International - Day Four"/><figcaption>GETTY IMAGES</figcaption></figure>



Total earnings: $11.3 million



Prize money: $5.3 million



Endorsements: $6 million



Kerber triggered lucrative bonuses from sponsors, namely Adidas, with her 2018 Wimbledon title and year-end rank of second in the world. In addition to Adidas, the German pro has also renewed deals with SAP, Generali and NetJets since Wimbleon and recently inked a new pact with Procter &amp; Gamble’s Head &amp; Shoulders brand. Other endorsements include Yonex, Porsche, Rolex and Lavazza.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">7. Alexander Zverev</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/1160486313/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="Rogers Cup Montreal - Day 8"/><figcaption>GETTY IMAGES</figcaption></figure>



Total earnings: $11.8 million



Prize money: $6.3 million



Endorsements: $5.5 million



The 22-year-old German is a rising star on the ATP Tour and has 11 career titles, including the 2018 year-end ATP Finals, which was worth $2.5 million in prize money. He has a large deal with Adidas, in addition to endorsements with Head, Peugeot, Richard Mille and Zegna.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">6. Naomi Osaka</h3>



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Total earnings: $24.3 million



Prize money: $8.3 million



Endorsements: $16 million



Osaka will see her endorsement number soar even higher, having signed a series of deals since her 2018 U.S. Open win. The biggest is with Nike, which was inked just ahead of our June 1 cutoff and is worth an estimated $10 million annually. She also recently added a series of endorsement partners—Hyperice, BodyArmor and Muzik—where&nbsp;she received equity stakes&nbsp;in the businesses.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">5. Serena Williams</h3>



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Total earnings: $29.2 million



Prize money: $4.2 million



Endorsements: $25 million



The world&#8217;s&nbsp;highest-paid female athlete&nbsp;four years running had a record year off the court after her return to tennis following the birth of daughter Olympia. She added deals with Pampers, Axa Financial and General Mills to her roster.&nbsp;Williams&#8217; next act is&nbsp;tackling venture investing, focused largely on companies led by women or people of color.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">4. Rafael Nadal</h3>



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Total earnings: $35 million



Prize money: $9 million



Endorsements: $26 million



The Spaniard is one of the biggest draws in tennis and can command appearance fees of more than $1 million a pop. His primary sponsors include Nike, Babolat, Kia Motors, Telefónica, Richard Mille and Mapfre.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">3. Kei Nishikori</h3>



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Total earnings: $37.3 million



Prize money: $4.3 million



Endorsements: $33 million



Nishikori and Zverev are the only non-Slam winners among the ten highest-paid tennis players. But Nishikori&#8217;s robust endorsement portfolio is fueled by his status as the most successful Japanese player ever. He is set to be one of the faces of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. His sponsors Asahi, NTT, Japan Airlines, Lixil, Procter &amp; Gamble and Nissin are all official Olympics partners.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2. Novak Djokovic</h3>



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Total earnings: $50.6 million



Prize money: $20.6 million



Endorsements: $30 million



There have been ten tennis seasons in which a player won more than $12 million in prize money. Djokovic owns seven of those years. His $135 million in career prize money has him $9 million ahead of Federer. Djokovic&#8217;s Lacoste endorsement is one of the richest deals in the sport.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1. Roger Federer</h3>



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Total earnings: $93.4 million



Prize money: $7.4 million



Endorsements: $86 million



In addition to his blockbuster Uniqlo pact, Federer added a multimillion-dollar deal with Rimowa last year. The luggage brand joined Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, Moet &amp; Chandon, Barilla and others in Fed&#8217;s endorsement stable.



-Kurt Badenhausen; Forbes

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The Highest-Paid Tennis Players 2019: Roger Federer Scores A Record $93 Million

Kevin Anderson had the biggest match of his career in the recent Wimbledon final, becoming the first male player to feature in the decider under the South African flag since 1921. 
With over $13 million in career prize-money, he speaks to FORBES AFRICA about new goals.

South African Kevin Anderson’s run to the 2018 Wimbledon final cemented his reputation as one of the leading players in the game today as he produced a shot that reverberated around the world of tennis.
Deep into his remarkable five-set semi-final with American John Isner, Anderson conjured a moment that will be remembered at Wimbledon for years to come and embodied all you need to know about the lanky star as a person and a player.
The weary 32-year-old was knocked off his feet by a power serve from Isner, his racquet falling from his hand as he fell onto his backside.
But as the ball came back to him, he instinctively reached down and grabbed the racquet with his weaker left hand, produced an excellent forehand and won the point – a moment that appeared to knock the last bit of fight out of his opponent as Anderson claimed the fifth set 26-24 in the second longest singles match in tennis history.
Anderson had shown calmness under pressure, the ability to adapt when the moment seemed lost and the skill to make the shot with his weak hand.
<blockquote>&#8220;Tennis can take you places you might never have dreamed of. I am the living proof of that.&#8221;</blockquote>
It was all the culmination of hard work put in years earlier to get him to that point and would earn him the biggest match of his career in the Wimbledon final, the first male player to feature in the decider under the South African flag since 1921.
“My Mom and dad both played tennis and ever since I can remember, I had a racquet in my hand,” Anderson tells FORBES AFRICA days after his final loss to Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic.
“I used to play swing-ball with my brother Greg for hours and hours.”
Anderson and his brother were coached in their early years by their father Mark, who always demanded his sons gave their all on the court.
“He would push us pretty hard to keep on working and improving, but at the same time, I really embraced it. I can’t ever remember wishing that I was doing anything else than playing tennis. I loved the game as an eight-year-old and still do.
“There is just something about the game that appeals to me and I have always been a hard-worker, that aspect comes quite naturally. From a young age, you find out that the more time you spend practicing, the better you become.
“By the time I was 10, tennis was my main sport and I was already fully-focused on the game, training probably three hours every day and traveling all over South Africa to play in junior tournaments.”
Fast forward 22-odd years and that hard work would pay off in a big way for Anderson against Isner.
“I had elbow surgery at a pretty young age and instead of resting for three or four months, my father made me play left-handed. It was tough, but I would never have thought then all of that practice would help me into a Wimbledon final.”
Anderson admired former American great Pete Sampras growing up, although he admits they are nothing alike.
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“He was my role model, our games are totally different but I could admire even then his commitment to excellence.”
After completing his schooling at St Stithians College in Johannesburg, whose other notable alumni include Academy Award-winning director Gavin Hood, singer Dave Matthews and current South Africa cricketer Kagiso Rabada, Anderson won a scholarship to the University of Illinois in the United States.
“I knew I wanted to have a pro-tennis career and so it made sense early on to base myself in the United States, because it was so much cheaper to travel to tournaments than from South Africa.
“I also thought I could develop quicker in the college system as you have exposure to better players than you would face back home,” Anderson says, adding he was a regular competitor with Isner while the pair were in college.
It was also at college that he met his wife, Kelsey O&#8217;Neal, who he married in 2011. The couple share a home in Delray Beach, Florida.
He now has over $13 million in career prize-money and a career-best top-five ranking, but above all says he also has a burning desire to be an inspiration to others.
“Tennis is an individual sport, so sometimes it is tough to find that connection [with young people]. But I feel like one of the big impacts I can make in South Africa is as an inspiration to show what is possible. With hard work, dedication and drive, tennis can take you places you might never have dreamed of. I am the living proof of that.”
Anderson will now hope to go one better than his loss in the final of the US Open in 2017, also to Djokovic, when he plays the final Grand Slam of the season in August and September, and his Wimbledon adventure has given him the confidence to believe he can do so.
“That is two Grand Slam finals in a year now and although I did not win either, it feels like it is really close,” he says.
“I know I can do it and it is now about setting new goals and challenges for myself.
“I want to keep on playing for as long as I can. I feel like I can still improve a lot as a player and that is my goal for the immediate future. I am as hungry as I’ve ever been.”
&#8211; Nick Said

Day Thirteen: The Championships – Wimbledon 2018

Chasing The Grand Slam With Kevin Anderson

Venus Williams made her debut at Wimbledon in 1997. That same year, Wang Qiang, Noami Osaka and Jeļena Ostapenko were born. In 2017, Williams beat all three of them on the way to reaching her ninth Wimbledon final.
At 37, she’s the oldest player in the top 300 in the world and has been on the professional circuit for two decades. In that time, she has won seven Grand Slams and millions of hearts, has battled poverty, racism, sexism and her sister, Serena, who has collected more than three times the number of major trophies.
Imagine being as good as Venus Williams and not even being the best tennis player in your family. But she has filled her supporting role with grace and as her career winds down, she is being acknowledged as one of the greats of all time.
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Though the magic of the Williams sisters starts from their childhood, when their father Richard oversaw rigorous training sessions and insisted on top marks at school as well, Venus’ story is really about the second-half of her career.
In 2006, she suffered a wrist injury which plagued her for months and kept her out of competition. As a result, she slipped down the rankings to No.46, her lowest since being on the scene. After coming back in 2007, winning Wimbledon in 2008 and working her way back to No.2 on the rankings, she suffered a much more serious setback. In 2011, Venus was diagnosed with Sjogren&#8217;s Syndrome, an autoimmune condition that should sap her of the energy required to play elite sport. That year was the first time she failed to reach the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam.
Her career appeared over, her flame extinguished.
By that stage, Serena was the headline act. She was the more successful sister, the stronger of the two and the more sassy in interviews. The leg-up her big sister provided – Venus was the runner-up in seven of Serena’s Grand Slam wins – was acknowledged as a novelty and Venus’ status as a role-model spoken of only as a sidebar to Serena’s. The truth is that as a pair, they provided young women and especially young black women with strikingly contrasting icons in a sport where they are under-represented.
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Tennis remains an elite and mostly white sport. While Serena showed how a power-house personality could force itself through that, Venus wove her way in with determination. Her resolve to play on despite a disease that causes muscle and joint pain provides a different kind of inspiration and she admitted it has not been easy.
“It has been a challenge, and a challenge to myself, and really just knowing that I can’t be defeated by anything,” she said on CNN’s Open Court in March 2014.
That year, Venus won the Dubai Tennis Championships to claim her first cup since 2010 and begin her resurgence. In 2015, she progressed to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and reached the fourth and quarter-final rounds of Wimbledon and the US Open respectively, but lost to Serena both times. In 2016, she reached the semi-final at Wimbledon, and in 2017, the final. And that too after enduring the angst of a fatality in a car-crash which preceded the tournament.
In early June, Venus was driving in Palm Beach when she was hit by another vehicle. The passenger in the other vehicle died two weeks later and there was an investigation into the incident which eventually cleared her of any wrongdoing. She broke down in tears in a pre-match press conference when quizzed about the effect the accident had on her mental state. Whatever it was, it did not stop her from reaching the Wimbledon final or looking beyond that.
Despite her age, Venus insists retirement is not on her mind just yet. There are still more barriers to break through.
As recently as January this year, a commentator at the Australian Open made a racist comment about Venus. ESPN’s Doug Adler said Venus had “put the gorilla effect on” her opponent Stefanie Voegele. The comparison drew widespread criticism but that does not mean the sisters will be free of the challenges that have dominated their time in the public eye.
Even some of their own peers are guilty. Pre-Wimbledon, John McEnroe, said in an interview on NPR to promote his memoir that Serena, the holder of the 23 Grand Slam titles, would likely rank 700 in the world if she played on the men&#8217;s circuit.
Serena, who has taken the rest of the year off while she has her first child, issued a curt response on Twitter in which she asked McEnroe to respect her privacy during her pregnancy.
The Williams’ baby will not be able to escape the spotlight forever though, especially not with a mother and aunt as famous as Serena and Venus. And while Serena will remain the superstar, Venus has shone every bit as bright. &#8211; Written by Firdose Moonda

The Superstar And The Star

He hits the ball with deadly ferocity but there’s more to Kevin Anderson’s game than a booming serve. In recent weeks, the tennis player from Johannesburg, South Africa, has proved he is a match for the best. He made the final of the Wimbledon warm-up tournament, Queen’s, where he was beaten by Andy Murray. At Wimbledon, the tournament every player wants to win, he gave the champion, Novak Djokovic, an almighty scare. On the way, he beat Grand Slam champions Stan Wawrinka and Lleyton Hewitt.
After winning 6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5, Djokovic, the best player in the world, said Anderson also deserved to win.
“It’s good to hear that he felt the same way. It’s tough losing matches like that but it would be unfair on myself not to try to take as many positives out of it as possible,” says Anderson.
The 29-year-old Anderson, who stands 2.01 meters tall in his tennis shoes, grabbed the world’s attention when he won the first two sets against Djokovic.
“I was in a very good position but the margins are so small. In the third set, I was trying to find a way to keep the pressure on him and by giving him that early break, he got some confidence and ended up being too classy for me. But, for the most part, that is how I want to be playing.”
His form this year has been rewarded. After reaching the final at Queen’s, he earned a career-high world ranking of 14.
Anderson has long been seen as a dangerous player but the world’s stars probably lost little sleep. That could change.
“I think it’s been my hunger to keep improving and put myself in this position. I made some small improvements but those small improvements make a big difference. Also, just playing different guys more, playing in different match situations and different rounds; it’s tough to beat that kind of experience. I think everyone’s improving, so you’ve got to work hard and when you see the results it gives you more motivation.”
His hard work is finally earning South Africa’s highest ranked tennis player the recognition, many believe, he deserves. Before this year, Anderson was not as well known as a top sportsman in a sport-mad country should be. He hopes his newfound fame can help revive tennis in South Africa.
“Schools sent a bunch of their tennis players to Wimbledon to watch me play and train and interact with me&#8230; It was great but it’s such a difficult thing because you need to start tennis at a young age. My hope is the better I do, the more influence I can have.”
South Africa has a rich history of great tennis players such as Johan Kriek, Kevin Curren and Wayne Ferreira. Anderson is reaching their level. He has won two tournaments on the ATP World Tour – the SA Tennis Open in 2011 and the Delray Beach Open in 2012.
Curren, a finalist at Wimbledon in 1985, is interested to see what Anderson can do.
“He’s done very well with what he has with his game. It will be interesting to see whether he can step it up to that next level&#8230; I don’t think the guys like to play him because he’s a dangerous opponent,” says Curren.
Being the highest ranked South African doesn’t worry Anderson.
“I’ve been the highest ranked player since 2008. I’m really proud and happy to do that, especially for players that are looking up to me. I feel excitement rather than expectation. I feel like I give my best and there’s nothing more I can do; I’m comfortable with that.”
Winning the SA Open in Johannesburg is the highlight of Anderson’s career so far.
“It’s my home event and 15 minutes from where I grew up. To win my first tour title there was a great feeling; friends and family were watching and it was a special week.”
Family is the reason tennis has been so prominent in his life.
“My dad taught me and my brother when we were growing up. He was incredibly passionate about the game and had high hopes for both of us. We worked really hard as kids and practised a lot. Tennis is an individual sport and that really appealed to us. It’s a sport that relies on pretty much just your ability, sometimes in team sports it’s not always in your control,” he says.
“My dad played himself. Tennis was big in their family. When he lived in Zimbabwe they had a grass court. He was really into sport but I think the individuality of tennis appealed to him.”
Anderson attended the prestigious St Stithians College in Johannesburg. In his final two years of school, he went to British International College because he had started to travel as a junior player to Europe and the school allowed distance learning.
His tennis skills allowed Anderson to attend the University of Illinois in the United States (US). He has lived in the US ever since.
“It’s an expensive sport, especially in South Africa, where you’re trying to play internationally. Even when you’re juniors, you need to travel with a coach and even a physio and these are very expensive endeavours. One of the big reasons I went to college [in the US] was to establish a base outside of South Africa. In the US, traveling around is much easier and there are always players to practice with.”
Despite being South Africa’s best tennis player, Anderson has been criticized for not playing for his country. Over the years, he has withdrawn from South Africa’s Davis Cup team; the result of a busy diary.
“I don’t want to speak out of turn, but as a rugby player you dream of playing for the national team. As a tennis player you dream of winning Wimbledon. Golf doesn’t have the Davis Cup, so it’s much less taxing on the body. It’s one week during the year rather than two or three weeks. The way tennis is set up makes it more difficult than other sports.”
You could argue that by blasting tennis balls past Djokovic’s head, he’s doing his bit for South African tennis.

Dangerous And Determined

On July 7, 1985, South Africa’s Kevin Curren walked out onto the hallowed green grass of the Centre Court at Wimbledon as the favorite to win the biggest title in tennis. A kid, from Leimen, in West Germany, smashed that dream.
The fresh-faced, 17-year-old, Boris Becker, surprised the world by winning that match and becoming the youngest champion at Wimbledon – a record that still stands. Curren wasn’t surprised though, just disappointed.
“I was playing an unseeded guy. He had won Queen’s (the London tournament that serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon) two weeks prior, and in the final there he beat my good friend Johan Kriek who said ‘if he plays like this he can win Wimbledon,’” says Curren.
It had all been going so well. The year before, Curren reached the final of the Australian Open but was beaten by Sweden’s Mats Wilander. He also won a doubles title at the US Open in 1982 and mixed doubles titles at the US Open in 1981 and 1982 and at Wimbledon in 1982.
<div id="attachment_3841" style="width: 280px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3841" class="size-medium wp-image-3841" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Kevin-002-270x300.jpg" alt="" width="270" height="300" />Kevin Curren</div>
At Wimbledon, the South African was on top form and had beaten top-ranked players, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, on his way to the final. Beating Becker was meant to
be easier.
“McEnroe said to me he couldn’t believe I lost to a 17-year-old. I had beaten McEnroe and Connors convincingly. But, I think we underestimated how good Boris was because he came back the next year and won it again. He is the youngest winner of all time and I don’t think that record will be beaten. He was like the Tiger Woods of tennis to win it at such a young age,” he says.
“I said to McEnroe ‘he’s a lot better than you think.’ But McEnroe still insisted that I should never have lost that match. A month later, they played on the United States hardcourts – McEnroe was the world number one at the time – and he snuck through. McEnroe came to me afterwards and said ‘I see what you mean, he’s a lot better than I thought.’”
Curren says Becker’s age worked against him.
“[Becker] played as though he’d have a thousand chances to win Wimbledon. He was young and naïve and played as if we were having a game in his backyard. He didn’t comprehend the pressures of winning that title. That probably worked against me a little.”
Despite not winning, the final against Becker was the highlight of Curren’s career.
“It is the pinnacle of the sport. Wimbledon is a title, venue and tournament held in the highest esteem by all the great players. I did get to the final of the Australian Open but Wimbledon is special,” he says.
“When I look back, I take the view that I came from Durban and played with two hands. I had to convert my entire game. I think I beat the odds and most guys wouldn’t be able to do that today. I was fortunate and had some lucky breaks. I did very well with what I had.”
It could have been Lord’s rather than Wimbledon.
“I actually excelled at cricket. I had the top batting average at under-15 for KwaZulu-Natal and things were going along nicely. I was picked for the first team to tour but had to go with my family on a holiday. The next year, when I came back as a 16-year-old, I was told by the coach that I wasn’t going to be picked for the first team that because I didn’t go on the tour. I served my six-game suspension and when I finally got a chance to get back in I was demoted in the batting order and it broke my spirit.”
It was a blessing. The lack of cricket forced Curren to focus on his tennis. The sport earned him a scholarship at the University of Texas and eventually allowed him to gain citizenship in the United States (US). During apartheid, South African sports teams were barred from playing internationally. Becoming a US citizen allowed him to “play as an independent contractor and play around the world,” he says.
Today, Curren runs the Telkom Supersport Shootout – a golf tournament geared for top businessmen, government officials and sport legends.
“We own the Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensburg. It started as a marketing sports event and mushroomed into a standalone business.”
Along with spending time with his wife and two young children, Curren plays a lot of golf on the South African Senior Tour.
“My challenge is to see if I can get my South African colours. I’m often playing against former pros who have taken their amateur status back. In tennis, I’ve climbed my Everest, I’m on the slippery slope down. But in golf, I’ve still got my Everest to climb.”
Don’t be surprised if he reaches the summit.

We Underestimated How Good Boris Was‘

The room went quiet and all that could be heard was the sobbing of an emotional young man. His crying was soon drowned out as the small crowd of fans and media rose to their feet and began applauding. He had just reached the pinnacle of disabled tennis with a win in the US Open quadriplegic wheelchair tennis division a few days prior, beating the world number one in the final. Lucas Sithole was not ready for the media circus which followed. He simply had never dreamt of this moment.
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Back in 1998, 12-year-old Sithole, without much direction in life, found new meaning following a tragic accident in Dunhouser, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Helping load goods onto a train with a friend, Lucas was caught underneath the wheels of the train when it started moving and his body was shredded to pieces. What remained was his left arm, but most of his right arm and both his legs were gone. For Lucas, it was if the world he knew was destroyed in an instant. Depression washed over him and for a while there was no end to his nightmare. The glimmer of hope appeared later when he turned to disabled sport.
At first, Sithole did not know which sport to take up and he started with athletics. When he moved to Pretoria in 2005 to complete his schooling, he switched to wheelchair tennis. He excelled in the discipline.
By 2011, he had risen to the top-ranked player in South Africa. Even then, Sithole was abundantly clear about what tennis had done for his life.
“Tennis gives me a reason to live,” said Sithole in April 2011, when he was already ranked 14th in the world.
“Tennis is an individual sport, and I don&#8217;t like playing team sports. Tennis is life, and it gives me life. It all started when I accepted myself after my accident. I didn&#8217;t stay indoors, I went to look for help and my primary school was a big help.”
The approach he takes, the humble man admits, is a mental one. It is about never looking back, staying in the moment and planning for the future.
Watching Sithole move around the court with ease in his wheelchair is a sight to behold. Throwing the ball up while holding the racket, both with his left hand, he boasts a powerful serve. But, it is the way he moves around using the stump of his right arm to turn the wheel of his chair and then his left hand which helps produce his speed.
His conduct on the court has also drawn much praise and he is idolized in the disabled community. On his return to South Africa, he was greeted by large crowds of disabled school pupils all hurrying to get an autograph from the first African to win a title at the US Open.
When asked where his inspiration comes from, Sithole says his coach.
“In wheelchair tennis my role model is my coach Holger Losch.”
Losch was a regular tennis coach and had to make the adjustment to quad tennis, but the partnership has grown in strength since they joined forces.
He too, was not short of praise for his star player.
“We are really proud of him for his win and the way he behaved,&#8221; says Losch.
Now, Sithole—having risen to number two in the world in the quad division after his win in the final over the number-one-ranked David Wagner—is readjusting his goals. Having competed in his first Paralympics in London in 2012, his major goal will be to win a medal at the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro.
In the meantime, Losch says he hopes the success of Sithole will inspire many more disabled athletes in South Africa and in particular the already growing sport of wheelchair tennis.
“Nine years ago, there were about three players playing wheelchair tennis in South Africa. Now there are about 500 children playing wheelchair tennis every week. We host six tournaments in [the country] on an annual basis and that&#8217;s just great for the game.”
Meanwhile, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, the deputy minister of disabled people, says Sithole&#8217;s success in the sport will give hope to the entire disabled population of the Rainbow Nation.
“From Newcastle [KwaZulu-Natal] to New York that’s quite a journey for Lucas. When people with special needs are recognized they can achieve anything.”
Bogopane-Zulu says the possibilities are endless now that Sithole has announced himself on the world stage with his major win.
“March on and give disabled people a chance. We need to recognize the rights of the disabled to give them the belief to achieve. We need people to invest in wheelchair tennis so we can produce more Lucas Sitholes.”
Even the sport’s national governing body, Tennis South Africa (TSA), were quick to congratulate Sithole, with the president Bongani Zondi heaping praise on the 27 year old.
“We are proud as TSA to have a champion at long last and also a black South African. We are proud of Holger and all the work Wheelchair Tennis South Africa are doing.”
Sithole was a student at Philadelphia Secondary School. Thirteen-year-old Neliswe attends the same school says she wants to be just like the tennis star. For the young girl, who was born without legs, the chance to rub shoulders with one of her idols is an experience she says she will never forget.
Following on from his title at the US Open, Sithole reached the final of the Australian Open in January. Despite winning the first set, the South African could not hold Wagner off in the final two.
Whether or not Sithole goes on to win more big events, it is quite clear to see that he has already accomplished his mission.

Tag: tennis

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