Top 5 ATP players with highest social media value

• The period under review is from January 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023
• The highest amount earned in media value is $29.3 million
• Different events in the last ATP Tour season generated this amount

Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray are the top five ATP Tour players with the highest social media value in 2022.

This is according to findings by Novak Djokovic’s Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) from January 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023.

With a startling $29.3 million in earned media value, Nadal came in the first place. Djokovic took second place with a social value of  $21.6 million while Alcaraz earned $16 million in social value profits.

Kyrgios took third place with $9 million in his social value while Murray closed the top 5 list with $7 million.

Nick Kyrgios Costeen Hatzi. Photo by Marca

The list, which was published by PTPA in collaboration with Zoomph, considered players’ posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Nadal’s heartfelt post on Roger Federer’s retirement in August 2022 marked up a social value of $1,503,020. Djokovic’s 2023 Australian Open victory post came in second with a total social value of $759,667.

Alcaraz’s response to Federer’s retirement, Murray’s post to Nigel Farage amid Djokovic’s 2022 Australian Open deportation drama, and Kyrgios’ tweet to commemorate reaching the Wimbledon final completed the Top-5 earned a fortune.

The Top-5 postings from ATP players mentioned above had an average social value of $879,047.

As for the Top-10 rankings for the highest social media value, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, and Jannik Sinner complete the list.

Alcaraz, a tennis sensation from Spain, witnessed an increase in his social value of 888% last year, as seen by his social value of $16 million for 2022 as opposed to $1.6 million for 2021.

Tennis pundits tout him to be the next ‘Nadal’ in the future. Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, and Thanasi Kokkinakis are the other athletes whose social status rose exponentially in 2022.

Meanwhile, as Nadal leads in the social value in 2022, his future in tennis is in Limbo following a series of injuries. He recently withdrew from Barcelona Open which sparked rumours of his planned retirement.

Nadal, who will turn 37 later this year, is nearing the twilight of a stellar ATP Tour career that has cemented his place among the best tennis players ever had.

However, a protracted spate of injuries in the past year and a half could hinder his plans to end his career as the player with the most Grand Slam victories.

The Spaniard has 22 Grand Slam victories but he is yet to play in any regular tournament after the Australian Open exit due to injury.

Rafael Nadal Australian Open. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Since the 2022 US Open Nadal has only participated played eight matches which was partly due to a longstanding foot injury which he once said is nearly incurable even if he quits tennis.

Nadal acknowledges that it has taken longer than anticipated for him to return to peak shape as he is now suffering from a hip injury which caused a lot of discomfort at the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

He had earlier told his fans that he would be out of the court for eight weeks starting late January but he has been out of action for longer.

Puntodebreak.com. reports that the Spaniard’s delay is due to his slow healing and he is not taking chances.

“I am taking it week by week, I’m having tests to see the progress I am making from the injury. I haven’t talked much since what happened in Australia, but in Australia, I had a big, big breakdown,” Nadal says.