One of the most significant commercial partnerships in sport has ended, with Roger Federer walking onto Centre Court at Wimbledon today wearing Uniqlo rather than Nike. According to Forbes magazine’s recent list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, Federer currently earns $77.2m (£57.63m) a year, with his Nike sponsorship one of the most lucrative deals in sport. But a report on the Italian website, sportsenators.it, by the highly respected tennis journalist Vincenzo Martucci first suggested that Uniqlo would be prepared to pay Federer $30m (about €25.8m) over the next 10 years, even after the 36-year-old Swiss has stopped playing. And on Monday Federer appeared on Centre Court wearing a brand new Uniqlo strip, thus ending his 10-year partnership with Nike which was said to have been worth $10m (about €8.6m) a year. Federer retained his Nike shoes, as Uniqlo do not currently manufacture tennis footwear. Uniqlo previously had a deal with Novak Djokovic, but the Serb has always worn Asics shoes. Federer begins his campaign to win a record-equalling ninth title with a first round match against Dušan Lajović. "It remains a little bit nerve-wracking in all honesty. It's a big deal," Federer said the day before The Championships. "Besides the history and the mythical place that it is, you cannot also practise on it. "The entire atmosphere changes at Wimbledon, and you realize the eyes are on you. But I love it. It's a massive honour." Online Editors<doc-sep>Roger Federer is set to serve up a financial ace. The 20-time Grand Slam champion is used to excelling in tennis, but the 36-year-old is just as successful away from the court. Federer, who returns to competitive tennis this week, looks set to strike a new clothing sponsor in a deal that could give him a 193% pay raise. When it comes to sponsorship, it is game, set, and match to Roger Federer. The 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion continues to set tennis records despite his status as one of the sport's veteran players. The 36-year-old is the only men's player in the Open era of tennis to contest 52 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals and the only men's player to win eight Wimbledon championships, and he has an 87.6% winning ratio on hard surfaces — the highest of all male athletes. But Federer's accomplishments are not exclusive to tennis, as he is also a valuable commodity away from the court. Federer recently featured on Forbes' list of the 100 highest-earning athletes. Last year, his $77.2 million in earnings ensured he was the top-earning tennis player and the seventh-highest-paid athlete in all of sports. But this year he may earn even more. This is because his long-running Nike deal, worth a reported $7.5 million every year, is said to have expired in March — and though he is yet to commit to a new agreement, reports suggest he could jump ship to the Japanese company Uniqlo. A clothing arrangement with Uniqlo could scoop Federer a 193% pay increase, as The Times speculates that a new deal could be worth $22 million a year. There are no guarantees that Federer will sign with Uniqlo, as he showed loyalty to his other blue-chip sponsors last year in renewing deals with Mercedes-Benz and Lindt. According to Forbes, he also signed a deal with Barilla for an estimated $40 million. Federer has not played competitive tennis since his second-round loss to Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Miami Open in March; he decided to skip the clay season so he could be fresh for this year's Wimbledon tournament. He will return at the Stuttgart Open, which begins this week.<doc-sep>Wimbledon: Federer wears Uniqlo as he returns to centre court FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Federer, 36, took to the Wimbledon court wearing UNIQLO clothes - ditching his long-running agreement with Nike. There had been weeks of speculation over whether he would switch sponsors and confirmation came at 1.08pm today. A statement released by UNIQLO read: "UNIQLO, the Japanese global apparel retailer, announces today a partnership with Roger Federer, the greatest tennis player of all-time and one of the world's most influential and universally admired people, as its newest Global Brand Ambassador. "The new partnership means that Mr Federer will represent UNIQLO at all tennis tournaments throughout the year, starting with The Championships, Wimbledon 2018. Tadashi Yanai, UNIQLO Founder and Chairman, said: "Mr Federer is one of the greatest champions in history - my respect for him goes beyond sport. "Our partnership will be about innovation on and off court. We share a goal of making positive change in the world, and I hope together we can bring the highest quality of life to the greatest number of people. UNIQLO will help Mr Federer continue taking tennis to new places, while exploring innovations in a number of areas including technology and design with him." Roger Federer has left Nike to join UNIQLO Roger Federer took to the court wearing UNIQLO clothes How much is Roger Federer's UNIQLO deal worth? Respected Italian journalist Vincenzo Martucci has suggested that Uniqlo would be prepared to pay Federer around £22.5million over the next 10 years. That's far more than the curent £7.5million that Nike had been paying him. Why has Roger Federer left Nike? Well, for a start, he hasn't completely left the sportswear giants. Federer was wearing Nike footwear on court but that's because UNIQLO don't manufacture tennis footwear. It's likely the main reason is money with the UNIQLO deal earning him an extra £15million a year. Federer, himself, alluded to joining the Japanese cmpany as they plan to have a positive impact on the world. He said: "I am deeply committed to tennis and to winning Championships. But like UNIQLO, I also have a great love for life, culture and humanity. "We share a strong passion to have a positive impact on the world around us and looking forward to combining our creative endeavors." Roger Federer Uniqlo outfit revealed at Wimbledon Mon, July 2, 2018 Roger Federer has revealed his new Uniqlo outfit at Wimbledon Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 8 Roger Federer has revealed his new Uniqlo outfit Roger Federer rumours that he would quit Nike had been circling for weeks<doc-sep>Photo : Clive Brunskill ( Getty ) Roger Federer won his first-round match Monday at Wimbledon in straight sets, but as the tennis media would tell it, the most meaningful thing he did was pick out his wardrobe before the match. Try as I’d like to resist the perverse Rovellian fascination here ... I can’t. It’s weird. It feels weird. The extremely expensive substitution of some set of coin-sized marks for a new set of coin-sized marks on basically identical warm-up jacket and Wimbledon whites—it’s weird. Advertisement Federer has donned that swooshy logo since 1994, establishing himself as one of the company’s most iconic athletes worldwide, wearing a number of self-parodically regal getups, and becoming richer than god in the process. As is the case with all of tennis’s stars, his on-court winnings, north of $116 million, were nothing compared to the sponsor money. Yesterday, confirming many rumors that had bubbled over the last few weeks, his loyalties suddenly changed. Federer spanked Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 in shirt, shorts, socks, and headband that all bore the marks of a Japanese brand that had given him a $300 million, 10-year contract. (There’s reportedly even greater potential for earnings if he sells patches on his shirts, which was verboten under his last sponsor.) To a longtime viewer, the sight of Federer in a new brand—at his preferred tournament, site of his most iconic matches—was a uncanny sensation. Like seeing your dad, after two decades of wardrobe homogeneity, settle down to Thanksgiving dinner in a whole new getup. After so many years of getting acclimated to and finding a benign comfort in those familiar sweatsuits and polo shirts and plain white athletic sneakers, you never expected any of it to change. The change is mild. Spiritually it’s dad garb all the same, but the sight of new colors and marks is just surreal enough to prompt a double-take, to make you wonder what went wrong with the old stuff. It turns out fans will still see some vestiges of the olden days, because Federer’s transition away from his old sponsor has not exactly been seamless. His initialed “RF” logo, a cult symbol among tan guys in ill-fitting slacks, remains in the clutches of his old sponsor, though the GOAT sounds eager to pry it away: That hasn’t stopped Federer from wearing the hat in public: Advertisement And so far, his shoes still are swooshed: Advertisement They may stay that way, too. “They have shown interest to have a shoe deal with me, as well. Ties are not broken there. I have deep roots with [the sponsor]. I’ve had a great relationship over the last 20 years. But everything is open,” said Federer yesterday. And so the battle for real estate on Roger Federer’s body rages on.<doc-sep>
Roger Federer made a big switch on Monday, trading in his Nike gear for Uniqlo and a massive payday. Federer's deal is rumored to be ten years and upwards of $300 million going Fed's way. The deal is structured so that Federer will get paid even if he retires before it ends — an unheard of move in the sport. Roger Federer began his campaign for his ninth win at Wimbledon on Monday, but the biggest news from the World No. 1 player was not his game on the court, but instead his outfit. Federer has worn Nike for over twenty years, making the "swoosh" logo and his "RF" logo iconic symbols of his dominance on the court. But as he dispatched Dušan Lajović in straight sets to move on to the second round, Federer was rocking his new sponsor, Uniqlo, for the first time. According to ESPN's Darren Rovell, the deal is worth more than $300 million over ten years and includes an unprecedented clause that will allow Federer to keep collecting even if he doesn't play through the end of the deal. While it was initially speculated that the deal could be worth $21 million per year, it looks as though Federer found his way into an even better agreement with the Japanese athletic brand. In addition to the money he'll earn as a brand ambassador for Uniqlo, he'll also reportedly be able to sell patches on his shirt — something that Nike had forbidden him from doing. Federer was still Federer on the court, but the sight of the greatest of all time without the swoosh on his chest and his own "RF" — which Nike still holds the rights to — emblazoned somewhere was enough to catch some people off guard. Federer isn't the first high profile player to wear Uniqlo on the court — three-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic also worked with the brand before switching to LaCoste last year. Federer hasn't removed Nike entirely from his tennis wardrobe, as still wore his Nike shoes throughout the match.