WEALTH OF TALENT

Tennis star Roger Federer has just joined the select group of the 300 wealthiest residents of Switzerland, according to an annual survey published on Friday.

Federer, aged 27, is valued at SFr100-200 million ($83.2-166.4 million) by the Swiss business magazine Bilanz.

It notes that since 2005, Federer has been under the wings of the influential sport marketing and management agency IMG, which has managed to triple his annual income from advertising to $35 million.

The magazine also points out that at the beginning of this year, the world's number two player signed an eight-year deal with sportswear and equipment company Nike worth a record $130 million.

Since 1998 Federer has carried off more than $43 million in prize money.

Bilanz says the Swiss also has a third source of income – exhibition matches for which he receives about $1 million for each he attends. Federer plays about half a dozen such matches every year.

Earlier this year, Federer moved home from his native canton Basel country to live in the commune of Wollerau in central Switzerland, where taxes are lower.