Roger Federer overtakes Djokovic and beats Nadal to make ATP Tour history

Federer and Nadal’s rivalry has spanned for well over a decade, with the two players still producing tennis of the highest calibre.

The race for No1 has gripped the world this year, with Nadal now set to finish the season at the summit of the sport.

Federer’s withdrawal from the Paris Masters means Nadal only needs to win one more match to ensure he finishes 2017 as the best in the world.

But his Swiss rival has beaten him to arguably an even bigger accolade.

Federer won the Swiss Indoors at the weekend, beating Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 6-7(5-7), 6-4, 6-3 to triumph in Basel for the eighth time.

And that win has consequently made him the richest player in the history of the ATP Tour. 

The 36-year-old scooped a rather nice $464,589 for his Switzerland success.

And that means he has now overtaken former top earner Novak Djokovic as male tennis’ highest earner.

Federer’s win means he has now amassed a stunning fortune of $109,853,682.

Djokovic is now second on the list with $109,805,403 to his name.

Meanwhile, Federer has apologised for withdrawing from the Paris Masters this week.

“I’m really sorry I am not participating in the Rolex Paris Masters this year, but my body needs some rest after the Basel tournament,” Federer said.

“I have played a lot of tennis this season and I have to take care of my body if I want to continue playing at the highest level in the years to come. 

“In 2016, it was very painful to miss half of the season, so I learned from it.”