The year 2019 was an eventful one for Roger Federer. The Swiss maestro had ended a long-term deal with Nike which spanned 24 years in the previous year and signed a deal with Uniqlo. Back in 2019, he also invested in On Running, a Swiss brand, and became their brand ambassador. According to reports, the partnership has made Federer richer by over $300 Million as the brand has gone on to achieve great success. However, the brand has achieved success not just off the court but also on the court.

Over the years, On Running has added players like Iga Swiatek, Ben Shelton, and others to their roster. These stars can be seen wearing On’s apparel on the court. Both Swiatek and Shelton are shining at the Australian Open, and have reached the semifinals Down Under. They have performed consistently match after match and dominated their opponents over the course of the tournament. However, the two aren’t the only ones shining for On Running at the Australian Open.

The brand is also represented by young stars like Joao Fonseca and Henry Bernet. While the former notched up an upset win over Andrey Rublev in the first round of the tournament, Bernet is through to the boys’ quarterfinals in Melbourne. Thus, even though Federer has retired, he keeps on winning on the court through these stars.

Interestingly, Shelton was one of the first tennis players to sport On Running’s apparel at a tournament. It was in March of 2023 that Shelton joined Federer’s brand and since then, he has been spotted wearing On’s outfits. Subsequently, Iga Swiatek joined the team and was highly influenced by Federer.

She once said, “I think just the fact that Roger is involved in that kind of company is just a good recommendation for tennis players. I think also he influenced a lot on [the company’s] side, so that’s why they want to go further and they want to sign players.”

Meanwhile, Federer has an interesting tale about how he invested in On Running. It was his country’s brand that highly motivated him to venture into this field.

Roger Federer shows off his patriotic side

While roaming on the streets of Zurich, Federer spotted this brand in one of the stores. Subsequently, he explored further and found out that On Running was born out of Switzerland. Later, he decided to meet the brand’s founders and the rest is history.

Narrating this tale, Federer once said, “We just had a get-together, this was way before anything was on the horizon to do anything. I still just wanted to meet the guys, to hear the Swiss success story. I’m very intrigued with Swiss guys making it global. In Switzerland, at some point, you need to go global and that’s why I love supporting and hearing the Swiss story.” 

Further, Federer received a 3% stake in the company, which is now worth more than $300 Million. Indeed, it turned out to be a masterstroke from Federer and it was a win-win situation for the brand as well as the Swiss maestro.