Novak Djokovic’s net worth dwarfed by world’s richest tennis player worth £5.4billion
Novak Djokovic has earned hundreds of millions thanks to his success on the tennis court, but it’s nothing compared to the wealth Jessica Pegula possesses.
Novak Djokovic’s eye-watering net worth doesn’t light a candle to Jessica Pegula’s staggering wealth. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is among the greatest tennis players to have graced the sport, and his dominance on the court has certainly resulted in huge financial rewards for the Serbian icon.
The 37-year-old – who turned pro in 2003 – ranks as the all-time leader in earnings, having pocketed a mammoth £140m ($184m) in prize money throughout his career. His net worth of around £189.3million ($240million) has also been bolstered by his endorsements with the likes of Lacoste, Peugeot, and lavish watch brand Audemars Piguet.
Djokovic could only bag an extra $455k (£346k) in earnings during the 2024 edition of the US Open after he was sensationally knocked out of the third round by Alexei Popyrin in a four-set thriller. Failing to defend his Flushing Meadows crown, the loss saw Djokovic succumb to his earliest Grand Slam exit in over seven years.
The surprise upset also means it’s the first time since 2017 that the superstar will end a season without a Grand Slam triumph. While Djokovic’s journey in New York has come to a surprising holt, Pegula – known as the ‘world’s richest tennis player’ with a net worth of £5.4billion ($7.7billion) – just keeps trucking on as the American reached her second-ever US Open quarter-final.
She’ll take on world No.1 Iga Swiatek on Wednesday (September 4). The 30-year-old is the daughter of Terry and Kim Pegula, the owners of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League and the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League.
Her family are among the richest in the United States with a net worth of over £5bn, with the tennis ace forging quite the salary for herself, having earned over $14m (£10m) in prize money during her career.
During her run in the US Open, Pegula has banked $1.3m (£990k) and she could add a further $5.4m (£4.1m) to her already mammoth net worth should she win the tournament which would be her maiden Grand Slam title
Following his defeat to Popyrin, Djokovic was brutally honest about his sub-par performance against his Australian opponent where he said: “He definitely played better and deserved to win today.
“On my end, honestly, the way I felt and the way I played from the beginning of this tournament, third round is a success. I mean, I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly, serving by far the worst ever.”
It was a lengthy season for the Serbian who struggled with injury in the lead-up to Wimbledon as well as finally achieving Olympic gold by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in Paris. Djokovic admitted that he was running on fumes in the last Grand Slam of the season.
“But because it’s [the] US Open, I gave it a shot and I tried my best. I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas and you could see that with the way I played.”
