'World's richest tennis star' is fives times wealthier than Ronaldo and Messi combined

Billionaire tennis star Jessica Pegula is incredibly worth five times the amount of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi put together. World No.5 Pegula is poised to inherit the extraordinary wealth of her father, Terry, who is one of the richest businessmen in the United States.

While the vast wealth is not yet officially hers, that hasn’t stopped the 30-year-old from being dubbed the ‘world’s richest tennis player’. Her parents own a sporting empire which includes NFL side Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, having previously owned other Buffalo-based sports franchises such as the Beauts and the Bandits.

But the bulk of their fortune stems from Terry’s involvement in the oil and gas industries, with Forbes estimating his worth at £5.32bn as of May 2024. Their eye-watering fortune has allowed them to become the proud owners of a £14million superyacht called ‘Top Five II’ and a £2.5m gated mansion in Florida.

Pegula herself is no slouch, accumulating a personal net worth of £9.4m through her successful tennis career, mainly obtained through prize money and sponsorships. She most recently added another £146,294 to her total by reaching the last eight at the Miami Open.

Yet she wouldn’t be topping any rich lists if not for the billions she is set to inherit. In fact, Ronaldo and Messi, the two greatest footballers this century, are worth just over £1bn combined.

Portuguese legend Ronaldo’s wealth stands at £470m, according to Celebrity Net Worth. His 21-year football career has seen him rack up huge sums thanks to his various sponsorships, including a life-time partnership with Nike, plus deals with the likes of Herbalife, Tag Heuer and Clear Haircare.

He enjoyed a greater boost to his earnings when he signed a reported £172m-per-year deal over two-and-a-half years with Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr in January 2023. Still, Ronaldo once again finds himself in the shadow of his eternal rival Messi, with the Argentine worth around £554m.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner also has his own lifelong deal with Adidas, a clothing line, and deals with Pepsi, Gatorade and Budweiser amongst a host of others. Messi turned down a £1.4bn to sign for Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in 2023 in favour of a £128m deal over two-and-a-half years with David Beckham’s Inter Miami, though he will simultaneously earn future equity stake in the team and earn dividends even after retirement.

Meanwhile, Pegula recently withdrew from Roland Garros due to her ongoing injury problems, having reached the semi-final of the doubles tournament in Paris last year. She voiced her frustration at the ‘world’s richest tennis player’ tag on Netflix series Break Point in 2023, opening up about the downside of her family’s incredible wealth.

She said: “Some people get this image that it’s really easy for me because my dad is very wealthy but that didn’t happen until I was 17 or 18. My dad was probably more hard on me and instilled a lot of work ethic in me. That definitely got me to this point.

“I hate when people write horrible stuff on social media or online. I don’t think I owe anything to prove those people wrong. I don’t care but, at the same time, there’s definitely really dark moments where I’m like, what am I doing? Why am I doing this? I’m just putting myself through the same thing over and over again and it sucks.”