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    Federer the best-paid athlete at Olympic Games

    Forbes have published a list of the top 20 best-paid athletes at the London Olympics - and tennis players and NBA basketball stars dominate the list.

    Michael Phelps might have won eight Olympic golds in Beijing, but his $7 million earnings over the last year does not even warrant a place in the top 20 - with Usain Bolt the only non-tennis or basketball star on the list.

    Forbes rankings take into account earnings and endorsements from July 2011 to July 2012, with Wimbledon champion Roger Federer just edging out Team USA basketball star LeBron James on the rich list.

    Federer has earned $54.3m over the last 12 months which equates to around £34.5m.

    There are four women in the top 20 — all tennis players — with Maria Sharapova the highest earner at $27.1m.

    The only Team GB athlete in the top 20 is Andy Murray, who earned an estimated $12m (£7.63m) over the last 12 months.

    The Forbes Top 20

    1. Roger Federer ($54.3 million) - Tennis

    2. LeBron James ($53 million) - Basketball

    3. Kobe Bryant ($52.3 million) - Basketball

    4. Maria Sharapova ($27.1 million) - Tennis

    5. Kevin Durant ($25.5 million) - Basketball

    6. Carmelo Anthony ($22.9 million) - Basketball

    7. Usain Bolt ($20.3 million) - Athletics

    8. Novak Djokovic ($19.8 million) - Tennis

    9. Chris Paul ($19.2 million) - Basketball

    10. Li Na ($18.4 million) - Tennis

    11. Deron Williams $18.2 million - Basketball

    12. Pau Gasol  $17.2 million - Basketball

    13. Serena Williams $16.3 million - Tennis

    14. Caroline Wozniacki $13.7 million - Tennis

    15. Tony Parker $13.1 million  - Basketball

    16. Andy Murray $12 million - Tennis

    17. Manu Ginobili $11.5 million  - Basketball

    18. Andre Iguodala $11.4 million  - Basketball

    19. Tyson Chandler $11.0 million - Basketball

    20. Marc Gasol $10.9 millions - Basketball

    About London Spy

    London Spy is the place to keep you informed on all the news in and around the 2012 Olympics. From torch tours to ticket touts, from Greco Roman wrestling to Stratford International maintenance, from Lord Coe to Wenlock and Mandeville, we will have all the slightly left field stories covered.

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