Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played out one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history, which is sadly no more.
The Big Three were constantly battling each other for the big trophies, with Djokovic the only player left standing.
He is still performing on the ATP Tour at the age of 38, while Federer and Nadal retired in 2022 and 2024 respectively.
The trio occupy the top three places in the all-time men’s Grand Slam leaderboard, combining to claim a stunning 66 titles.
And they have been rewarded handsomely for their efforts, with all three players among the top 50 highest-paid athletes of all time.
Who is the greatest male tennis player of all time?
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic among 50 highest-paid athletes
As per Sportico, five tennis players are among the top 50 highest-paid athletes ever, with Federer leading the way.
The Swiss legend occupies ninth place in the star-studded list, with inflation-adjusted earnings of $1.67billion.
His fellow icon Nadal is down in 27th place with his total of $755million, followed by Djokovic in 32nd with $725million.
The Serbian superstar can, of course, further climb the list given that he is still not only competing, but also really impressing.
You can bring one tennis legend out of retirement. Who do you pick and why?
Serena Williams and Pete Sampras join Big Three in money top 50
Just like Federer and Nadal, two other retired legends of tennis find their names among the top 50 highest-paid athletes of all time.
WTA icon Serena Williams is 40th with her tally of $680million, ahead of fellow American Pete Sampras in 45th with $650million.
The former clinched 23 Grand Slam titles during her phenomenal career, which incidentally may not be over just yet.
Her sister and fellow icon Venus Williams made a surprise comeback last season, which is something that Serena has yet to rule out.
Sampras meanwhile impressively remains the nearest competitor to the Big Three in terms of Grand Slam titles.
| Titles | Player | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open |
| 24 | Novak Djokovic | 10 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| 22 | Rafael Nadal | 2 | 14 | 2 | 4 |
| 20 | Roger Federer | 6 | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| 14 | Pete Sampras | 2 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
He finished his career with 14, behind only Djokovic (24), Nadal (22) and Federer (20).
It is basketball hero Michael Jordan who tops the all-time list, boasting a stunning total of $4.5billion, well ahead of second-placed Tiger Woods on $2.88billion.
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