20-time grand slam champion Roger Federer is retiring from professional tennis as one of the all-time greats of the game, on and off the court.
Federer announced overnight that next week’s Laver Cup would be his last professional event.
While his incredible sporting resume will rightly be celebrated in the coming days and beyond, the Swiss Maestro has also built one of the strongest and most commercially successful athlete brands in the world.
The Federer Empire
- Estimated $US1.1 billion in career earnings (prize money and endorsements), the first tennis player to pass the billion dollar mark
- Currently 7th highest paid athlete in the world and was number 1 in 2020, according to Forbes
- Signed a 10 year, $US300 million apparel deal with Japanese brand Uniqlo in 2018
- Estimated 3% shareholder (worth around $US200 million) in Swiss shoe brand On
- His 14 major sponsors include premium brands Rolex, Mercedes-Benz, Credit Suisse and Moët & Chandon, and most will stay on with Fed despite his retirement
- The Roger Federer Foundation has provided education support to around 2 million children in Southern Africa and Switzerland
Interestingly, even while injured Roger earned $US90.7 million last year, $US90 million of that from endorsements! That was more off-court earnings than any other athlete, including Lebron James ($US80 million).
Here’s Federer’s announcement:
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