close
close

Rafael Nadal announced his retirement. Here's how much money he made over the course of his career.


Rafael Nadal announced his retirement. Here's how much money he made over the course of his career.

Grand Slam tennis champion Rafael Nadal is retiring at the end of the season


Grand Slam tennis champion Rafael Nadal is retiring at the end of the season

00:22

Rafael Nadal, the Spanish tennis legend who won 22 Grand Slam titles during his career, announced on Thursday that he would do so Withdrawal from professional tennis next month.

Nadal turned professional in 2001 at the age of 15. The 38-year-old will hang up his racket at the end of 2024, ending a 23-year career on the ATP Tour.

The trophies Nadal took home also came with big payouts. Additionally, as one of the greatest athletes of all time, he has secured a number of lucrative sponsorship deals.

Additionally, according to Forbes, Nadal can command fees for appearances at events that exceed $1 million.

Here's how much prize money Nadal has won, the value of his endorsement deals over the years, and his estimated net worth.

Prize money

According to the ATP Tour, Nadal's 92 professional tournament titles and other victories have earned the left-handed Spaniard a total of nearly $135 million in prize money in both singles and doubles.

According to the organization, Nadal won 1,080 games and lost just 227. And because professional tennis players receive payouts based not only on wins but also on how far they get in a tournament's draw, he took home prize money even when he was not crowned champion.

Nadal has been hamstrung by injuries in recent years, forcing him to withdraw from some competitions. Still, according to the ATP Tour, he has earned $301,661 in prize money to date in 2024.

Brand partnerships

In 2024, Nadal was the sixth highest-paid tennis player with earnings of $23.3 million, according to a Forbes ranking. His “off-court” earnings made up the majority of his income at $20 million.

As one of the biggest draws in tennis, Nadal has long-standing contracts with a number of brands. He has been sponsored by car manufacturer Kia for 20 years and signed a contract as a brand ambassador for IT company Infosys in 2023.

He is also sponsored by watchmaker Richard Mille and has long worn the brand's timepieces – which range in price from six figures to millions – while playing tennis. “The watch is like a second skin for me now,” Nadal said, according to Richard Mille’s website.

This year, Nadal teamed up with his rival Roger Federer for a “Core Values” campaign for luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton.

Nadal has also signed on as an ambassador for the Saudi Arabian Tennis Association, despite criticism from the country Using sports to cover up his controversial record on human rights and equality issues. According to Forbes, Nadal is expected to earn a seven-figure sum annually through the partnership.

Nadal also signed with Nike early on and has worn Nike shoes and clothing on court since the beginning of his career. Nike has not revealed the value of its partnership with Nadal, although according to Yahoo Sports, the sportswear giant paid him around $10 million in bonuses during the years he reached the top of the world.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *