Roger Federer is one of the biggest names in the tennis industry and to say that he has carefully cultivated an image of himself in the fraternity would be an understatement. Fans and supporters of the former World No. 1 equate him with words like class, grace and elegance.

The 20 time Grand Slam champion, however, is not only a true ambassador for the sport, but also for several brands, who collaborate with him for his stardom and popularity. Other than his significant earnings when it comes to prize money, Federer also has some high-profile endorsement deals. One such brand, which for most of his career had been synonymous with his image was Nike.

Federer’s partnership with Nike

When it comes to tennis, Nike has arguably with the brand every player wanted a sponsorship deal with. Amongst some of the top tennis players who have worn Nike gear on the court are veterans like Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and rising stars like Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz. Amongst their very distinguished clientele was also Roger Federer, who had signed with the brand way back in 1994.

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Every tennis and sports fan remembers the iconic cardigan that Federer wore during his 2008 and 2009 Wimbledon campaigns with the gold detailing of the Nike logo and his classic RF logo.

Federer’s shift to Uniqlo

However, after 24 years of solid partnership, Federer announced in 2018, that he will not be renewing his contract with Nike anymore. While rumours about his new sponsors were doing the rounds, Federer confirmed his shift to Uniqlo by debuting his new collection in collaboration with the company in the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.

“Ties are not broken there. I have deep roots with Nike. I’ve had a great relationship over the last 20 years. But everything is open. It’s very exciting also again to see what’s out there, who wants to do something with me,” he said at the time.

What is Uniqlo?

Uniqlo is a Japanese mass-market retailer known for its designer collaborations and high tech life wear line. Uniqlo produces technologically advanced clothing collections, including sweat-wicking Airism line and the warm heat-tech pieces.

Federer joined Kei Nishikori who was already a part of the Uniqlo stable. Uniqlo also used to sponsor Novak Djokovic for a while, before he moved to Lacoste.

Explore – Uniqlo and Roger Federer London 2019 Collection

Why did Roger Federer switch to Uniqlo?

Federer had been with Nike for 24 years, meanwhile becoming one of the most decorated athletes in the history of tennis and sports in general. However, as Jo Pompliano correctly analyses his deal with Nike is not being as fruitful as he envisioned.

“Nike had a loaded roster of tennis players [including] Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova [and] Nick Kyrgios… there is an unwritten rule in the world of sponsorships [that] you don’t spend over 10% of overall revenue on athlete sponsorship deals…” Pompliano said.

This did not suit the new terms and conditions that Federer wanted with the renewal of the contract, so he cut ties with Nike. Nike also decided to protect their margins by letting the 36-year-old go.

How long is Federer Uniqlo Deal?

What was interesting and borderline genius about Federer’s deal with Uniqlo the way in which it was laid out. It came with no withdrawal clause and Federer signed the contract for 10 years, guaranteeing himself a total of $300 million even if he decided to retire midway into their term.

While to the layperson it might seem like a weird move for Uniqlo, the management at the Japanese company were quite certain that they could leverage Federer’s global image to their benefit and reap in the consequences even after the Swiss retires from the tour.

Although Federer is on the cusp of a transition into a post-retirement lifestyle, he hasn’t retired yet. The Swiss star does know that his playing days are coming to an end. Uniqlo’s chief executive’s trust in him proved to be pivotal in his decision.

“One day I will retire from tennis but I will not retire from life. Life will go on and Mr. Yanai believed in me very strongly. Even though my playing days are going to come to an end at some point,” Federer said.

What does Federer like about Uniqlo?

Federer says that he feels good in his clothes and he can focus on tennis. Federer revealed that a bad outfit that causes practical concerns like sticking to sweat can ruin a tennis match. Uniqlo outfits allow the sweat to flow.
As previously admitted, he believes that the fabrication of Uniqlo’s clothes is suited to active sports, despite Uniqlo not being a typical sportswear brand. He claims it will also introduce Tennis fans to some much-needed innovation in the tennis-wear space.

Other than that, he felt that looking good also provided him with a lot of confidence in his professional life. With Uniqlo, Roger Federer is earning three times the money he was being paid at Nike. The clinching factor for Federer was the post-retirement benefits offered by Uniqlo.

Federer also believes that his deal with Uniqlo helps in bringing diversity to tennis which has mostly been a Europe oriented sport. The tour rarely goes through Asia. He also wants to spend more time in Asian countries and possibly help in grooming future stars from the continent.

Know More – Roger Federer Uniqlo Cared For Me As A Player And Person

Why is Federer designing for UNIQLO?

Federer believes that he stands for style in the sport of tennis. It had been his long-time wish to create tennis apparel. The insights from a tennis player would not only allow the apparel to be stylish but also closely suited to player requirements.

However, Roger Federer will not limit himself to just tennis wear. The Swiss Sports icon wants to go beyond that into life wear.

Federer pays a lot of attention to the fabrics and colors of his outfit. He also wants to experiment with the way current tennis gear looks to go beyond the obvious.

Know More – Roger Federer “I Love The Accessibility of Uniqlo”

How did Federer strike gold by leaving Nike?

Pompliano goes on to explain how the shift from Nike benefited the Swiss in all senses of the term. While the no-withdrawal Uniqlo deal is indeed a stroke of genius, what really tipped the fortune balance in Federer’s favour was when he invested in the Swiss sneaker market in the company called On Running.

Federer reportedly owns 3% of the brand and since On Running has gone public and is now valued at $10 billion federal state is now but about $300 million.

“Federer is one of only six athletes to cross $1 billion in career earnings while still active. The part you didn’t know? He left behind a $10 million annual sponsorship deal with Nike and turned it into a $600 million-plus payday… Roger Federer has built one of the most impressive brands in sports history. He only played in one event last year but still brought home $90 million, making him the 7th highest-paid athlete globally. Yet only $300k of the $90M came from tennis events. Now that’s wild,” Pompliano says.

What happened to Federer’s logo at Nike?

After his shift to Uniqlo fans had been wondering what would become of Roger Federer’s logo, with his initials RF.
He clarified later that the rights to the logo would be with Nike for some time, but since it was rightfully his initials and his name, it would eventually have to come back to him.

“The RF logo is with Nike, but it will come to me at some point,” Federer had said at Wimbledon in 2018, when he announced his switch. “I hope rather sooner than later, that Nike can be nice and helpful in the process to bring it over to me. It’s also something that was very important for me, for the fans really… They are my initials. They are mine. The good thing is it’s not theirs forever,” he had added.

Finally, in 2020, he tweeted that he had gotten the rights to his iconic logo back and seemed happy to be “reunited at last!”

How did Kei Nishikori react to Federer signing up with Uniqlo?

Federer revealed that Nishikori was flabbergasted when he heard that Roger Federer is joining Uniqlo. It was an unreal experience for the Japanese Sporting sensation who has grown up idealizing Roger Federer.
Federer believes that working with Uniqlo will allow him to develop a greater connection with Nishikori.