There are some lucrative personal-athlete brands in the sports world. Nike has powerful and lucrative alliances with many of the top tennis players, from Rafael Nadal to Serena Williams to Juan Martin del Potro to… Roger Federer. Nike has always been Roger’s clothing sponsor, since he was a kid just starting out on the tour. As Federer became the GOAT (co-goat with Serena, honestly), Nike branded their Federer line with the RF initials which they own. The RF-Nike line was always one of the most popular and lucrative sponsorships in the sports world. But Federer + Nike is no more. Federer’s contract with Nike came to an end back in March. He was still in negotiations with them, but he was also talking to other companies. Among those companies? Japanese label Uniqlo, which currently sponsors Kei Nishikori and used to sponsor Novak Djokovic. Uniqlo allegedly offered him $300 million for a 10-year contract. Yes, they gave a 10-year contract to a soon-to-be 37-year-old tennis player. This was reported weeks ago, although no one believed this GQ story:
The most stylish man in tennis is reportedly getting a brand new on-court wardrobe. Roger Federer is said to be leaving his longtime sponsor Nike for a new deal at Uniqlo that will pay him $300 million over 10 years. Federer has been with Nike since 1994; his most recent 10-year deal reportedly paid him somewhere in the ballpark of $10 million annually. That’s still do-whatever-you-want money, but the potential deal with Uniqlo would net Fed $30 million every year—his total earnings last year were barely double that, according to Forbes.
There are, however, two funny wrinkles around this deal. For one: Nike owns the RF logo associated with Federer’s brand, shoes, and clothes. That’s not going with him to Uniqlo. Second: Uniqlo doesn’t make shoes, so Federer will have to sign a separate deal for his on-court gear. ESPN footwear reporter Nick DePaula says that Adidas is the most likely landing spot. Still, Uniqlo prides itself on its technical fabrics—like “Heattech” and “Airism”—and a deal with Federer gives the brand a chance to get the word out.
Well, GQ was right about Federer moving to Uniqlo, just as they were right about Nike owning the RF brand. But Federer did work out a shoewear deal with Nike, not Adidas. Federer walked onto Centre Court at Wimbledon today wearing Uniqlo gear… and Nike shoes. So long RF-branded merch. Now all of those Fed fans are going to wearing Uniqlo all over. Also: I wondered why Federer wore a suave-looking suit to do media at Wimbledon over the weekend. Now we know: he wanted his entrance on Centre Court to be crazy-dramatic.
So what do you think? Is this a terrible idea for Roger’s personal branding, or is it smart for him to grab the money? The thing is, Roger already has a crazy amount of money. He’s one of the highest-paid athletes in the world from all of his sponsorships. Here’s Uniqlo’s tweet-announcement:
UNIQLO is honoured to welcome Roger Federer as our new Global Brand Ambassador!#UniqloRF #Uniqlo #LifeWear #RogerFederer #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Xn4R4H4GVV
— UNIQLO UK (@UNIQLO_UK) July 2, 2018
Roger was wearing his RF-Nike hat at practice on the Wimbledon grounds this weekend though:
Photos courtesy of Getty.
This is his prep for retirement. I think rebranding now, while he has ten years to work toward that, is only sensible.
Roger is a big pull internationally – he speaks several languages and is building schools in (mom’s) South Africa. I think it’s a signal that he may be looking to branch out to Asia more.
That said, it’s very risky to change sneaker contracts when you’re an athlete. Several tennis players have ended up with foot problems.
Am I the only one who has ever hear of Uniqlo because of Angela Kinsey and her vending machine jacket?
I’ve heard of Uniqlo because they have several stores here in NYC. I bought a bunch of their leggings last fall and basically wore them all winter, to the point that one of them got holes in the crotch. They are good for basics, I own some things from them but mostly accessories/gym/lounge wear. I haven’t bought pants/dresses/shirts from them really. I bought a skirt from them once and it ended up being too small unfortunately (the next size up was too big).
They are good if you want simple, basic clothing and sell their clothes in all colors and are not expensive. I’m not sure the quality is the best but they have become pretty popular to their simple aesthetic in multiple colors.
Leaving the company he’s been with for decades for money he doesn’t need makes him look disloyal and greedy
I am not his fan, but you are confusing business with personal relationships.
He got an amazing deal with a decent company. It’s like people changing their jobs. Good for him.
Yup. Not as if Nike isn’t disloyal & greedy either. They’ve got their contract army they underpay, just for one thing.
This is really unfait judgement. He has said multiple times he has enough money for himself and his family, so most of the money he’s seeking now is problably going for his foundation. He is increasing his charity work and is learning with Bill Gates. He said he wants to dedicate more and more time to it. So, yeah, by all means, take all money you can get Fed.
It’s an obscene amount of money and I don’t blame Uniqlo for wanting Fed or Fed for taking the deal.
Uniqlo was formed in 1984 and had a rocky start. They’re ambitious and have said they want to be the world’s number 1 leisure wear shop. Their expansion plans are extremely ambitious but it’s not always paying off. Sales were down in 2016 after they upscaled their pricing.
They need high profile to raise interest and expand them past ‘flannel’. Someone like Fed who oozes consistency. And he’s a relatively safe bet…no losing face with any potential disgraces. Fed can not only benefit with the $eriou$ money that’s being offered but as Uniqlo is in the west seen as newer than Nike (from what I understand, I live in Asia), being their face gives him a bit of a facelift as well.
I like Uniqlo – there stuff is reasonably priced and of a good quality but the styles can be really bland and shapeless.
Is Federer their first celebrity brand face? Or have I missed others?
They have Djokovic, Nishikori and Kunieda (wheelchair) in tennis.
In this article https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/08/29/the-highest-paid-tennis-players-2017/#16b99fa3435d
Nike is listed as a US$10m a year stint for Fed…compared to US$300m over 10y for Fed. Wow.
I love Uniqlo. Cheap fun clothes. They have a great store in Manhattan with a Starbucks in it. How can you go wrong. I think it is a great idea for him. I think Federer is more popular overseas, mainly cause we have Serena, and it seems weird to us, but probably works with other markets.
So, his deal with Nike is limited to shoes now?
I’d sponsor some $hit for $300 million and I’d be real good at it too (big sigh) but no one ever picks me.
Yeah, same here. I am quite skilled at:
– watching serials on Netflix without toilet breaks
– reading 3 books at the same time (well, not literally)
– technological multitasking (i.e. writing an email while I check Instagram on my phone and watch the news on TV)
– problem-solving for different kids at the same time
– dealing with entitled males in my field of work without yielding to submission
– watching Roland-Garros, then the World Cup and then Wimbledon with the same enthusiasm
Brands, come at me! I’m reading for those ££££!!
Hahaha.
I’d be thrilled with $100,000 tbh.
Its obscene how much sports celebrities make (as well as non celebrities) with brand endorsements. Which means that, incredibly, it pays off. If they are willing to put so much money on this – and don’t forget that Djokovic is also sponsored by Uniqlo – it means that they expect to get their money’s worth.
Which is funny because I was attracted to Uniqlo because of the quality of the clothes for a fair price and also their neutral, slick designs with no noise from mainstream culture. I also liked their collaborations with designers, some unknown, some more famous such as Inès de la Fressange.
I didn’t recognize Federer in the header pic. He looked like someone else entirely and at least a decade older.
Well, make that big money while ya can. Why the hell not?
I don’t blame him one bit for taking the deal. That’s crazy money for little effort. Hope he invests wisely and is charitable.
I often wonder about these crazy celebrity endorsements though – is the company really going to benefit THAT much by having him on board? Are they really going to reap more than $300 million in profits to make it worthwhile for them?
The RF logo was based on a design by Mirka Federer and her father. Per reporter Christopher Clarey, the logo will revert back to Roger within a few years.
It’s definitely a great way to raise Uniqlo’s profile further in the U.S. (and maybe elsewhere), since they’re already mainstays in Asia.
Wow. I expected to see Roger wearing Nike into retirement and onto the seniors circuit. I thought he had a lifetime contract similar to what Beckham has with Adidas.
I live in Uniqlo Airism tanks during the summer here in FL. We have a store in Disney Springs at WDW.