One year after climbing past basketball player LeBron James, Roger Federer once again has the highest brand value of any athlete in the world according to the Forbes Fab 40. The Swiss’ brand is valued at $37.2 million, a 3.3 per cent increase from 2016.

"Marketers are savvy," says TEAM8 Founder and CEO Tony Godsick, Federer’s agent. "When they encounter an athlete who has consistently excellent results, a humble attitude, a commitment to helping others, and a love for the sport, they want to be associated. Roger enjoys being able to bring value to his incredible and loyal corporate partners. We should all celebrate the global nature of tennis that creates a platform for a special individual like Roger to reach these heights and be in the company of athletes who play the most popular sports in the world.”

An athlete’s brand value is determined by their non-salary/bonus earnings, also excluding any investment income, minus the average income of the Top 10 athletes in the same sport. James is second on the list, with his brand valued at $33.4 million.

Federer was fourth in this year’s Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, which was released in June. The Swiss came in at a combined $64 million, $58 million of which he earned from endorsements and $6 million of which came from prize money. Novak Djokovic placed second among tennis players in 16th, registering a combined $37.6 million. Other ATP World Tour stars inside the Top 50 were Kei Nishikori (26th, $33.9 million), Rafael Nadal (33rd, $31.5 million) and Andy Murray (40th, $28.8 million).

Federer was also highly ranked in Forbes’ Celebrity 100, a list of the world’s highest-paid celebrities of 2017 that was also released in June. Federer came in at No. 23.