Tennis legend Roger Federer tops Olympian rich list

The 2012 London Olympics features some mega-rich sportsmen with the overwhelming majority being basketball and tennis players, with Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer topping the Forbes rich list with an annual salary of 53 million dollars.

Swiss tennis champion Roger Federer, who won the Wimbledon championship in 2012 to take home 1,150,000 million pounds, is the highest-paid competitor at the London 2012 Olympics earning 54.3 million dollars in the last year, according to Forbes Magazine.

Following close behind is US basketball star LeBron “King” James, whose team trounced France 98-71 on Sunday July 30, at 53 million dollars.

Jamaican sprinter Ursain Bolt, who won three gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, is the highest-paid athlete playing neither tennis nor basketball, coming seventh with an annual income of 20.3 million dollars.

A dozen of this year’s Olympics athletes feature in the Forbes list of the top 100 high-earning sporting figures published on June 18, 2012. Non-Olympians on the list include US boxer Floyd Mayweather earning 85 million dollars, Philippino Manny Pacquiao on 62 million dollars and golfer Tiger Woods who last year earned 59.4 million dollars.

The high earners at the 2012 London Olympics:

1. Roger Federer (Switzerland / Tennis) – 54.3 million USD
2. LeBron James (USA / Basketball) - 53 million USD
3. Kobe Bryant (USA / Basketball) - 52.3 million USD
4. Maria Sharapova (Russia / Tennis) - 27.1 million USD
5. Kevin Durant (USA / Basketball) - 25.5 million USD
6. Carmelo Anthony (USA / Basketball) - 22.9 million USD
7. Usain Bolt (Jamaica / Sprinter) - 20.3 million USD
8. Novak Djokovic (Serbia / Tennis) – 19.8 million USD
9. Chris Paul (USA / Basketball) - 19.2 million USD
10. Li Na (China / Tennis) - 18.4 million USD
11. Deron Williams (USA / Basketball) - 18.2 million USD
12. Pau Gasol (Spain / Basketball) - 17.2 million USD