Rafael Nadal retires: A legacy of €127m in court earnings
Everything has been calculated. Rafael Nadal earned 127.8 million euros on professional courts.
On Tuesday evening, Rafael Nadal's tennis career ended. The Spaniards hoped it would last a few more days, but the Netherlands defeated Rafael Nadal's team in the Davis Cup quarter-finals. In his last match in professional sports, the Spaniard was defeated by Botic van de Zandschulp.
Throughout the season, Rafael Nadal struggled with chronic injuries, preventing him from succeeding. His decision to end his career was understandable, although, as the tennis player said, he would have postponed it if his health had allowed it.
The Italian newspaper "Tuttosport" presented an all-time ranking of tennis players in terms of court earnings. It includes fees for appearances and tournament results, excluding money from sponsorship or advertising contracts. Therefore, although the sums are astronomical, they do not represent the athletes' total earnings. Where does Rafael Nadal rank in this?
The Spaniard earned 127.8 million euros. Rafael Nadal is ranked second, only behind Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer is third.
An interesting fact about the ranking prepared by the Italians is that the current young tennis stars are already in the top ten in terms of earnings. The list is rounded out by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who are 21 and 23 years old. If they remain at the top as long as Nadal or Federer, they should match them. It's worth remembering that financial prizes in tournaments are increasing.
Rafael Nadal is, among other accomplishments, a two-time Olympic champion and a multiple Grand Slam champion. He was the ATP ranking leader and a clay court play specialist.
