Federer tops Forbes Power List for athletes

Roger Federer has topped the Forbes Power List for athletes even after losing his hold on the top two spots in the ATP listings after he was ranked the 8th most powerful person in the world by the business magazine.

Federer, who is widely perceived as one of the best tennis players ever, made an impressive amount of money in the last 12 months, earning more than $40 million annually from ten endorsements, including long-term deals with Nike, Rolex, Wilson and Credit Suisse and the latest addition, the champagne brand Moet & Chandon, which signed him up for a five-year deal at the end of 2012. Federer’s income surged after he toured South America for a six match exhibition series, which netted him a cool $14 million.

Even though he wasn’t the highest earning athlete in the last 12 months – that honour went to Tiger Woods who earned $78 million to Federer’s $71.5 million – the Swiss maestro is still considered a more bankable athlete, thanks to his squeaky clean image, something Woods lost in 2009 after his private life spilled into the headlines after he crashed into a fire hydrant.