via Reuters
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 5, 2021 Switzerland’s Roger Federer celebrates winning his fourth round match against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego REUTERS/Paul Childs
via Reuters
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 5, 2021 Switzerland’s Roger Federer celebrates winning his fourth round match against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego REUTERS/Paul Childs
Roger Federer is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. According to Forbes, he was the highest-paid tennis player in 2021 and earned more than Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal combined. Interestingly, in 2020, he even earned more than football legends, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
As per Forbes, Roger Federer earned a total of $90.6 million in 2021 despite playing just five tournaments. He generated just $0.6 million on the court while 99% of his earnings came from his endorsement deals.
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How Uniqlo helped Roger Federer earn a huge amount of money?
Federer decided to end his endorsement with Nike in 2018. The company was paying him $10 million annually and he was the face of the sports brand for over 20 years.
2) Nike had a loaded roster of tennis players:
• Serena Williams
• Rafael Nadal
• Maria Sharapova
• Nick KyrgiosAnd there is an unwritten rule in the world of sponsorships — you don't spend over 10% of overall revenue on athlete sponsorship deals.
So what would Nike do?
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 29, 2021
However, in 2018, the Swiss Maestro signed a $300 million deal with Uniqlo for the next 10 years. Here, he would earn $30 million annually, which is $20 million more than what Nike was offering him. Besides this, there is no retirement clause in the deal, allowing Federer to keep receiving the $30 million check even if he retires before 2027.
4) Roger Federer's $300 million deal with Uniqlo included two unique stipulations:
First, the agreement didn't have a retirement clause, meaning Federer would earn $30 million at age 46 even if he retired 5 years prior.
Even better?
The deal only covered apparel, not shoes.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 29, 2021
Another interesting feature of the Uniqlo deal is that it doesn’t include the shoes deal. Thus, Federer can play on the court without actually wearing Uniqlo shoes. This actually pushed him to sign yet another fascinating deal.
Watch This Story: How Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, and Others Travel
Federer invests in On Running
The ‘no shoe’ deal clause helped Federer to invest in the Swiss shoe company ‘On Running’ in 2018. He became its brand ambassador and two years later, the company went public and its current estimated worth is around $10 billion.
via Reuters
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 3, 2021. Switzerland’s Roger Federer celebrates winning his third round match against Britain’s Cameron Norrie Pool via REUTERS/Jed Leicester
Since Federer has a 3% stake in the firm, which is now worth $300 million. If one adds his earnings from Uniqlo to it, Federer has actually made $600 million after leaving Nike.
6) Including his initial investment & marketing fees, Roger Federer reportedly owns about 3% of the brand.
The craziest part?
Just two years later, On Running has gone public & the business is valued at $10 billion.
That means Federer's stake is now worth about $300 million.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 29, 2021
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Interestingly, out of this, the Swiss Maestro has already has spent around $15 million to open more than 80 schools in Africa. He also gave $1 million to provide meals to about 64,000 children since schools were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
10) My favorite part of the story?
Roger Federer will end up doing a lot of good with the money — he has already spent ~$15M to open 80+ schools in Africa.
He also spent $1 million to provide 64,000 African children meals while schools were closed due to COVID-19.
Love it 🙏 pic.twitter.com/dWtqbbYkGX
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 29, 2021
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Roger Federer recently underwent a knee surgery and is currently rehabilitating. Fans are hopeful for a speedy recovery and for him to make an incredible comeback on the court next year. Will he be able to win his 21st Grand Slam title before bidding goodbye to the sport?
Also Read: WATCH: Roger Federer Spotted in Dazzling Suit With Wife Mirka at Dior Show
