"Simona Halep and Nadal over Federer just tells you everything you need to know about the bull**** criteria" - Tennis fans surprised by placement of their favorites on list of world's most marketable athletes

Simona Halep was ranked the 15th most marketable athlete in the world and the fourth most marketable tennis player, behind only Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and Emma Raducanu. Halep's high ranking on the list compared to other sporting legends, and tennis legends in particular, has left tennis fans surprised, to say the least.

According to the list compiled and published by SportsPro, Simona Halep beat Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer, and is more marketable than the iconic 'Big 3' of men's tennis. While Nadal ranked 16th, Federer had to settle for 23rd place, and Djokovic was ranked as low as 46th, among the world's most marketable athletes.

Halep even pipped the likes of Garbine Muguruza and Bianca Andreescu among fellow female tennis players, with a relatively strong 'brand strength' score helping her cause.

Tennis fans took to Twitter to react to the Romanian star's high ranking on the list, particularly in comparison to the Big 3, and many were in disagreement with her placement.

"Halep and Nadal over Federer just tells you everything you need to know about the bull**** criteria used to make this list," a Twitter user vented.

"Bit of a strange list. Halep more marketable than Roger? That is utter nonsense, despite his retirement he will still get sponsorships for the rest of his life that Halep can only dream of," another fan wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to Simona Halep's placement on the list of the most marketable athletes in the world in comparison to other tennis superstars:

Which factors contributed to Simona Halep's high placement on the list of world's most marketable athletes?

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According to a report on the 2022 list of Most Marketable Athletes by SportsPro, many factors beyond an athlete's on-field performance and social media brand value were considered while formulating their overall scores.

Among them were brand strength, which takes into account the athlete's personal brand positioning in terms of story and authenticity, as well as their appeal among a range of demographics. The athlete's economic strength, both financial and 'Return on Objective' around social and environmental factors, was another key consideration.

Simona Halep scored 11.95/20 on brand strength, which was the biggest contributor to her overall score. She also scored 23.99/50 and 6.40/30 in audience/reach and economics, respectively, contributing to an overall score of 42.35 that gave her 15th place.

On the tennis front, Halep ended her 2022 tennis season after undergoing nose surgery last month. She won the Canadian Open earlier this year.