Celebrity Net Worth: Rafael Nadal aces his way to $500m in earnings

In our fortnightly celebrity investment and wealth round-up, Madhuri Dixit Nene invests in an Indian fashion retailer and Mila Kunis joins a funding round in a green hydrogen start-up

RAFAEL NADAL'S 21 GRAND SLAM TITLES: 1) Rafael Nadal wins his first Grand Slam at the 2005 French Open. Getty Images

2) Rafael Nadal wins the 2006 French Open. Getty Images

3) Rafael Nadal makes it three in a row at the 2007 French Open. Getty Images

4) Rafael Nadal secures a fourth straight Roland Garros title at the 2008 French Open. Getty Images

5) Rafael Nadal win his first major away from the French Open at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. Getty Images

6) Rafael Nadal won major title No 6 at the 2009 Australian Open, his first Grand Slam on hard courts. Getty Images

7) Rafael Nadal wins his fifth Roland Garros title at the 2010 French Open. Getty Images

8) Rafael Nadal becomes a two-time Wimbledon champion at the 2010 Championships. AFP

9) Rafael Nadal completes the career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open. AFP

10) Rafael Nadal reaches 10 Grand Slam titles with his sixth Roland Garros triumph at the 2011 French Open. AFP

11) Rafael Nadal wins the 2012 French Open, his seventh title in Paris. Getty Images

12) Rafael Nadal wins a fourth straight Roland Garros for the second time in his career at the 2013 French Open. AFP

13) Rafael Nadal wins his second US Open title at the 2013 tournament. Getty Images

14) Rafael Nadal wins a fifth successive Roland Garros title at the 2014 French Open. AFP

15) Rafael Nadal brings up his French Open La Decima at the 2017 tournament in Paris. AP Photo

16) Rafael Nadal wins the 2017 US Open for his 16th Grand Slam title. Reuters

17) Rafael Nadal wins his 11th Roland Garros title at the 2018 French Open. AFP

18) Rafael Nadal wins his 12th Roland Garros title at the 2019 French Open. AFP

19) Rafael Nadal claims his fourth US Open title at the 2019 tournament. Reuters

20) Rafael Nadal pulls level with Roger Federer on a record 20 major titles with his 13th trophy in Paris after winning the 2020 French Open. AFP

21) Rafael Nadal becomes the most successful male player in history with his 21st major title, won at the 2022 Australian Open. AAP

22) Nadal makes it a record-extending 22 majors with victory in the 2022 French Open. EPA

Rafael Nadal

Clay court specialist Rafael Nadal is one of the richest tennis players in the world, with career earnings believed to be more than $500 million before taxes and agents’ fees, after his record 22nd men’s grand slam title at Roland Garros last month, Forbes magazine estimates.

With a championship cheque worth €2.2m ($2.4m) at the French Open, the Spaniard’s on-court earnings stand at $130.7m. That puts him in second place, behind top on-court earner Novak Djokovic ($156.5m) and slightly ahead of Roger Federer ($130.6m).

At the age of 36, Nadal is currently serving his way to further on-court earnings of £2m ($2.4m) at Wimbledon. Should he win on the storied grass courts, he will be one title away from becoming the first player in more than 50 years to have a calendar Grand Slam — holding all four major championship titles at once — since Rod Laver in 1969.

Nadal’s overall’s net worth is estimated at $220m at present, according to calculations by wealth tracking website Celebrity Net Worth.

But the tennis champion has banked more than double his on-court earnings in income from endorsements and appearance fees. He currently has eight major sponsors, including Nike, Kia and Babolat rackets, according to Forbes. Other endorsements have included Lanvin colognes and underwear for Tommy Hilfiger and Emporio Armani.

In a typical year, Nadal earns an annual pre-tax salary of $40m, including tournament winnings, appearance fees and endorsements, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Nadal has 44.6 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter — the highest in tennis — ahead of Federer (40.1 million), Serena Williams (32.9 million) and Djokovic (29.8 million).

While an impressive comeback in his 20th season on the tour, despite a chronically injured foot, is an inspiring story in itself, Nadal trails Federer on the endorsements scoreboard.

The Swiss technical specialist leads the earnings scoreboard with total on and off-court earnings of $1.09 billion across his career. Djokovic stands at roughly $470m, according to Forbes estimates.

Nadal is also associated with several tennis academies around the world, in countries such as Greece, Kuwait, Mexico and his native Spain.

He is one of several owners of a 19th-century building in Madrid and an investor in the nightlife restaurant Tatel, according to news website Essentially Sports.

Overall, Nadal has a relatively lean residential property portfolio. Unlike Dubai regular Federer, the Spaniard is thought to own only two homes, one in Mallorca, Spain, and the other in the Dominican Republic.

Madhuri Dixit Nene

The 1990s Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit Nene has joined a $10m series B funding round for Indian fashion retailer Purple Style Labs.

The company will use the funds for global expansion, including setting up in Dubai and New York, start-up magazine Inc42 reported.

Purple Style Labs retails more than 800 brands through omnichannel, e-commerce brand Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop, including fashion labels from designers such as Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani, Anita Dongre and Wendell Rodricks.

The start-up currently generates more than 75 per cent of its online sales from international markets. Its gross revenue for 2022 to 2023 is expected to be 7.5 billion Indian rupees ($95m), Inc42 reported.

However, the size of Dixit Nene’s investment is not known.

The actor has a net worth of $35m, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Her assets have accrued from her acting work in Hindi cinema and live performances. She was most recently seen in the Netflix series The Fame Game.

The actor has also endorsed several brands over the course of her career, including Maggi noodles and Aquaguard water purifiers.

Mila Kunis

Actor Mila Kunis joined husband Ashton Kutcher with an investment in Israeli green hydrogen start-up QD-SOL last month, according to venture funding information website Crunchbase.

Founded by chemist Lilac Amirov, the company uses solar energy to split water for the purpose of green hydrogen generation. Hydrogen is one of several renewable fuels being considered as a low-emissions alternative to hydrocarbons.

The couple participated in the funding round through their Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis Investment Fund but their outlay was not made public. They joined Kutcher’s longtime partner, talent agent Guy Oseary, and other investors in the $3m angel round.

Kunis, 38, also joined fellow actors Cameron Diaz and Gabrielle Union to invest an undisclosed amount in designer Autumn Adeigbo’s eponymous fashion brand last month, taking the label’s total funding to about $4.2m. The designer is expected to use the funds to expand her line of clothing and accessories.

“I have been a fan of Mila for so long,” the New York-born designer said, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.

“Words don’t describe how much I look up to her. She is such a pillar of cultural excellence, activism and entrepreneurship, let alone the impact she has made in Hollywood. I couldn’t be happier that Mila found my company in alignment with her fashion and entrepreneurial passions.”

In response, Kunis said: “I saw the fire in her eyes as the determination I recognise in successful entrepreneurs that tells me they won’t give up on the difficult start-up path. Combined with Autumn’s talent and the early market response to the brand’s product, investing was a no-brainer for me.”

Kunis has an estimated net worth at $75m, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Her fortune stems principally from her career as an actor, which began at the age of nine.

She is the voice of Meg on the long-running show The Family Guy, where she earns a reported $100,000 an episode — or $2m per year — with additional income from royalties and the sale of merchandise, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

She has also starred in several movies, including the hits Black Swan, Friends With Benefits, Ted and Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful.

In 2014, Kunis became one of several partners in production company Orchard Farm Productions. She has production and acting credits for the coming Netflix film adaptation of Luckiest Girl Alive, which is based on the 2015 Jessica Knoll novel of the same name.

Her endorsement work includes brands such as Christian Dior, Gap and Tresemme.

On her own and with Kutcher, she has invested in at least four homes in California.

The Ukrainian-born actor moved to Los Angeles with her family at the age of seven, with $250 to their name, she told Glamour magazine.

Over the years, Kutcher has built a formidable reputation as a venture capitalist. Crunchbase estimates that he has made at least 68 investments — including in companies such as Spotify, Shazam, SoundCloud, Uber and Airbnb — through his companies A-Grade Investments and Sound Ventures.

Aside from QD-SOL, he has invested in several other Israeli start-ups, including cultured meat company Mitech and mobility service Moovit.

Kylian Mbappe

French football star Kylian Mbappe has joined player-owned fantasy sports game Sorare as an investor and player ambassador, the company said last week.

The game combines non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with fantasy sports. Since its launch in 2018, it now claims two million users around the world and has entered into partnerships with 250 sports organisations, including the Bundesliga, LaLiga and Major League Baseball.

Under the agreement, Sorare will support Mbappe's philanthropic venture Inspired By KM (IBKM), which aims to help disadvantaged young people benefit from opportunities presented by Web3 technology.

“Off the pitch, the most important thing for me is helping empower young people, who might not have access to the type of opportunities others have, to realise and fulfil their dreams and potential,” Mbappe said.

“And with new technologies presenting such profound opportunities, I wanted to partner with an ambitious, global tech brand that would resonate with the young people whose dreams we are supporting.

“Sorare was the perfect fit, and I was beyond inspired by Nicolas and the team’s enthusiasm for football, fans and building a better, more inclusive world. I can’t wait to get started and make a global impact with them as their first-ever player ambassador.”

The Fifa World Cup winner joins other athletes who are already investors and advisers to the company, including Serena Williams, Gerard Pique and Rio Ferdinand.

Mbappe, 23, has an estimated net worth of $150m, according to Celebrity Net Worth. In May, he extended his contract with Paris Saint Germain.

The three-year deal reportedly includes a signing bonus of €150m, according to Sports Illustrated subsidiary Fan Nation. His monthly take-home pay has been widely reported as €4.7m. The deal makes him the highest earner in the game.