LONDON: Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer chose the stage of his greatest triumphs to officially end his long-running and high-profile partnership with Nike, taking to Wimbledon Centre Court Monday for his opening round match wearing a Uniqlo shirt, headband and shorts.
The only aspect of his on court gear that remained unchanged were the shoes, emblazoned with the iconic ‘RF’ logo, which the US sportswear giant has owned the trademark of since 2010.
“UNIQLO is honoured to welcome Roger Federer as our new Global Brand Ambassador!”, the Japanese sportswear brand announced via its official Twitter handle just before Federer walked on court.
The Swiss maestro has worn Nike outfits throughout his career and played in their gear in a deal worth roughly $10 million a year. Reports earlier this month suggested that the 36-year-old was preparing to end his career-long association with Nike in favour of a ten-year deal with Uniqlo after letting his deal with the US sportswear brand expire on March 1.
Most media reports have put the value of the Uniqlo deal as being worth $30 million a year. ESPN, quoting sources reports that the deal is worth more than $300 million guaranteed over 10 years and has an unprecedented clause that says that Federer will collect the money even if he doesn’t play.
According to ESPN, the deal could be even more lucrative for Federer as it includes the right for his team to sell some patches on his shirt. Nike did not allow him to do so.
As for the “RF” logo, Federer made pointed reference to it in his post match press conference after Monday’s 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Dusan Lajovic, stating: “Yeah, so the RF logo is with Nike at the moment, but it will come to me at some point.
“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.
“Look, it’s the process. But the good news is that it will come with me at one point. They are my initials. They are mine. The good thing is it’s not theirs forever. In a short period of time, it will come to me.
“Obviously we also need to figure out with Uniqlo when at one point we can start selling clothes for the public as well. All this has just gotten underway. We’re hopeful the beginning of next year people can also start buying my stuff. For the moment, as fast at retailing as they are, as great as they are, it just needs a bit of time.”
On why he wore Nike shoes…
“With the shoe situation, I don’t have a shoe deal. I’m looking forward to see what shoes I will be wearing in the near future. For now, I will be wearing Nike. They have shown interest to have a shoe deal with me, as well. 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.”
For the record, Federer’s endorsements are estimated by Forbes to be currently worth $65 million per year.
