Rafa Nadal may not have banked much money on the tennis court this year due to an injury sustained at the Australian Open, but off court he is still a magnet for sponsors and also a very astute businessman.
According to El Mundo, Rafael Nadal’s net worth figure stood at $323.61 million in February 2023.
Only recently, he managed to bag a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal with Subway alongside the likes of NBA star Steph Curry, which could help him reach the $350 million mark possibly by the end of this year.
And, according to Forbes, Rafael Nadal’s overall earnings are easily in the range of $500-550 million if taxes and other reductions are considered as well.
Tennis writer Dhruv Rupani for The SportsRush says that it also helps that no other tennis player on the planet has as many social media followers as Nadal if Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are combined, which stands at 49 million at present. So it is expected that many of his sponsors will extend their associations with him post his retirement.
Brands such as Nike, Babolat, Kia Motors, Santander, Emperio Armani, Richard Mille, Tommy Hilfiger and Telefonica are in his portfolio and many of them have supported him since the beginning of his professional career on the ATP Tour.
In 2021, Nadal had reportedly earned $23 million only from appearances at special events, endorsements, merchandise and licensing fees, making him the world’s fifth-highest paid tennis player that year.
It is believed that Nadal wore a limited edition Richard Mille watch at the French Open 2022 final, which was worth $2.52 million at the time.
Currently, he is the biggest and oldest tennis name on Nike’s payroll, as he reportedly earns a guaranteed $10 million per year from that deal.
Add to that his investments in property, restaurants and hotels, the Mallorcan is playing a very clever game.