Tiger Woods is the highest-paid athlete in the world for the first time since his sex scandal

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is back on top of the world - in more ways than one.

The iconic golfer returned this year to the world No 1 spot he had held for so long until his self-imposed exile from the game December 2009.

The American has earned $78.1million in the last year. The vast majority of which came from endorsement deals worth $65million and the remaining $13.1million came from winnings. 

And now the 37-year-old is back at the top of Forbes' annual list of the world's 100 highest paid athletes.

Woods was top of the list for 11 consecutive years until 2012, when he was usurped by Swiss tennis star Roger Federer.

This has been a year of rehabilitation for Woods, who has come out from seemingly self-imposed hiding after the fallout from his multiple extramarital affairs surfaced.

Tiger Woods is back on top of the world - in more ways than one. The iconic golfer returned this year to the world No 1 spot he had held for so long until his self-imposed exile from the game December 2009. And now the 37-year-old is back at the top of Forbes' annual list of the world's 100 highest paid athletes. The top ten earning athletes according to Forbes includes (top row left to right) Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Drew Brees. They are followed closely by Aaron Rodgers, Phil Mickelson, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronadlo and Lionel Messi.

Tennis: Wimbledon winners to get 25% pay rise

Nice return: The pay rise for players such as Roger Federer should they win Wimbledon again brings it inline with other major prize pots

Tennis superstars Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova now have even more reason to make sure the date for Wimbledon is in their diaries.

The world’s most famous tournament is to increase this year’s prize fund to a whopping £20 million.

Bosses at the All England Tennis club agreed the 25 per cent increase  to ensure the competition is in line with other Grand Slams.

Player bodies, the ATP and WTA, have been seeking better pay throughout the Grand Slams, arguing that it is hard for some of the lower-ranked players to meet expenses accrued on what is a global tour.

The Australian Open’s total prize fund in January was £20.3m, including £1.64m for the winners of the singles titles. 

The French Open singles winners will get £1.3m this year, a rise of 20 per cent on 2012, while second, third and fourth-round losers will earn 25 per cent more. 

The US Open have increased their 2013 prize pot to £21.9m and that is likely to exceed £33m by 2017.

Tennis: Andy Murray now world no2 after winning Miami title

Britain's Andy Murray battled past David Ferrer in a gruelling final to win his second Miami title and regain the world number two ranking.The Scot, 25, saved a match point on his way to winning 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-1) for his ninth Masters title.Murray recovered from losing the first five games and survived a Hawk-Eye call at match point down in the final set.

For the first time in almost 10 years, the top two ranking positions in the world will not feature either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.

Murray's arrival as number two behind Novak Djokovic is not a first for him, but it's been three-and-a-half years since he last occupied that spot, and he's a much better player now. With more than 4,000 points separating Murray and Djokovic, the number one ranking is still a long way off, but after lifting his second Miami title in his 40th career final, it's another step along the way to his ultimate ranking goal.

As for the match, all of those lung-busting 400m runs in the Miami heat in the off season were designed for this sort of occasion. To win one of these titles at any time is hard work, but to force David Ferrer, known as The Everywhere Man for his ability to cover the court, to cramp in the stifling heat and humidity, is something else.

The victory brought a 26th career title and ensured he will pass Roger Federer in the new world rankings on Monday.

Congratulations Andy.