Federer, Nadal Among Forbes Top 50

© AFP/Getty ImagesRafael Nadal is bidding to retain his Roland Garros trophy.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both been included among the Top 50 in Forbes Magazine’s annual list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Celebrities. They also feature in the subcategory 10 Most Powerful Athletes. The list has been published since 1999 and takes into account earnings, fame, and global exposure in the media.

At No. 25 in the list, sixteen-time Grand Slam champion Federer is among the top 3 of the 19 athletes to be included, behind only Tiger Woods (No. 6) and Lebron James (No. 10), and ahead of David Beckham (No. 35).

"Federer still commands the most impressive endorsement portfolio in all of sports with 10 major deals including Nike, Credit Suisse, Rolex and Wilson," said Forbes Magazine. "He was the only one of Gillette’s original three 'Champions' to have his deal renewed this year as the brand dropped Tiger Woods and Thierry Henry."

Meanwhile, Nadal comes in at No. 46. The Spaniard earned an ATP record $10,171,998 in prize money alone last season, having won three successive Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros (d. Soderling), Wimbledon (d. Berdych) and the US Open (d. Djokovic).

"Nadal became the youngest player in the Open Era to capture the career Grand Slam when he won the US Open in September, 2010 at age 24," said Forbes Magazine. "Nadal’s endorsement portfolio has begun to catch up with his on-court success. This year he started shilling for Bacardi and Giorgio Armani in addition to holdovers like Nike, Babolat and Kia Motor. He earned $10.5 million in prize money over the last 12 months."

The 24-year-old Nadal will look to retain his Roland Garros crown in the next two weeks as he contests the clay-court Grand Slam in Paris. The Mallorcan arrived in the French capital city on Wednesday to be one of the first players to practise on the Philippe Chatrier Court. “It’s very special arriving here because it’s the best clay-court tournament in the world and I’ve had so many great memories here,” said Nadal.

The main singles draw for Roland Garros will be made on Friday, with main draw play due to begin on Sunday.