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Steve Martin, founding partner at sponsorship agency MSQ Sport and Entertainment, said during an interview that "The thing with Federer is that he’s been commercially brave."
Simplified Text
Steve Martin, founding partner at MSQ Sport and Entertainment, stated that Roger Federer has been commercially brave.
Confidence Score
1.000
Claim Maker
Steve Martin
Context Type
News Article
Context Details
{
    "person": "Steve Martin",
    "organization": "MSQ Sport and Entertainment"
}
Subject Tags
Business Sports Endorsements
UUID
bcfb18d4-fe3b-4162-a00f-d81ba1430a71
Vector Index
✗ No vector
Created
September 25, 2026 at 4:05 PM (2 weeks ago)
Last Updated
September 25, 2026 at 4:05 PM (2 weeks ago)

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Screenshot of https://nytimes.com/athletic/7619586/roger-federer-brand-net-worth-sponsors-tennis-on
Federer's huge commercial success started during his playing career. Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photo: Marleen Fouchier / BSR Agency via Getty ImagesLast month, Roger Federer was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on an emotionally charged evening in Newport, R.I.The 20-time Grand Slam champion, now 45 and five years removed from his last singles match, could not hold back the tears as he delivered a “love letter to tennis” before an assembly of fellow stars.“My time as a player is done, but tennis will always stand at the intersection of everything I care most about,” he said, after being introduced on stage by the person he called his “coach, hitting partner and stylist” as well as his wife, Mirka.“My family, our friendships, the past 40 years and the future we’re building. So this is not a goodbye.”Federer remains one of tennis’ biggest names, an enduring figurehead for the sport he mastered. His brand remains one of its strongest; it is also among the very biggest in the sports world at large.This week’s Laver Cup, staged at the O2 Arena in London, will again accentuate that. A tournament Federer helped devise through Team8, the management company he co-founded with his agent Tony Godsick, has become a fixture of the tennis calendar, as well as a commercial success.Federer’s backing, both at launch in 2018 and now, has played a role in the Laver Cup’s growth, which illustrates his ongoing influence and value. That he no longer plays counts for little; the tear-stained 2022 edition, his last event before retirement at which he played doubles and then held hands with arch-rival Rafael Nadal, is the most enduring so far in its short life.Many of the same sponsors that backed Federer through his playing days remain loyally welded to his side and the newer ones, including Japanese apparel manufacturer Uniqlo and Swiss sportswear company On, have opened up new earning opportunities in the post-Nike years. The partnership with On, which involved Federer taking equity in the business before its boom, stands as one of the biggest commercial deals in sports history.Who decides who gets into the Royal Box at Wimbledon?Tifo SportsFederer’s earning potential continues to be vast. “Forbes” estimated that the tennis great had become a billionaire last year, only the seventh athlete to ever reach that status. Investment performance means he has dipped below that figure since, but Federer has translated his career successes into off-court earnings like few other athletes.Federer was estimated to be the highest-paid athlete in the world as recently as 2020, eclipsing soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but it was a carefully constructed strategy for his retirement years that has set him apart. After some uncertainty over maximising his value in the early part of his career, he and his team have developed a keen sense of how to do it.“Federer built for life after tennis before tennis was over,” Misha Sher, founder of One Not Many and athlete marketing expert, said during an interview.“He built a brand that was bigger than winning tennis matches with real intention, even at a time he was hugely successful. That meant that his commercial appeal was never entirely dependent on performance.“He’s been thinking like a business person throughout, rather than an athlete wanting to just supplement his income with some endorsements. The Laver Cup is basically the most clear manifestation of that.”Federer’s is a brand that, against convention, remains as strong as ever in the post-playing days. “So many athletes are entirely reliant on their performance,” adds Sher. “They’ll never have the opportunity to do what Federer is doing.”In 2018, Federer’s time at tennis’ summit had been extended by two final Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and the previous year’s Wimbledon, but the end was coming.By then, the Swiss had worn the Nike swoosh on his chest for 24 years, dressed in the brand from head to toe for each of his 20 singles majors. Federer was synonymous with the U.S. brand, commercially inseparable. His personal “RF” brand was akin to Nike ranges fronted by basketball’s Michael Jordan and golf’s Tiger Woods.However, after 12 months of negotiations over an extended deal, Federer and Nike parted ways, in a split which is now the stuff of commercial folklore.“He didn’t leave Nike,” said Federer’s agent Godsick, on Andy Roddick’s “Served” podcast last year. “Nike kind of left him, you know?” We were trying to re-sign and they chose not to re-sign. He would have stayed.”But then along came the opportunities that changed everything for Federer. A 10-year contract with Japanese retailer Uniqlo, which Nike declined to match, according to Godsick in his “Served” interview, is worth $300 million and includes Federer being part of the design processes. It is scheduled to end in 2028.That Uniqlo apparel deal still left a vacancy for footwear, though, swinging the door open for the biggest financial play of Federer’s career. Along came On, the Zurich-based company founded in 2015. Mirka was a fan before Roger. When he had discussions with the brand, instead of taking another endorsement, Federer acquired a three percent stake in the company to throw more than just his name behind the plans. Roger Federer was synonymous with Nike during most of his career before he partnered with Uniqlo in 2018.Michael Dodge / Getty Images“Everyone knows Roger’s a leader in his sport, but as a friendship developed, it became clear he is a natural leader and entrepreneur off the court as well,” On’s co-founder, Olivier Bernhard, said upon Federer’s unveiling as a partner seven years ago.On’s IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 brought an emphatic vindication. Federer’s equity, bought for an estimated $50 million, is now worth approximately $273 million. That is almost three times his career earnings as a tennis professional and more than Federer received in his two decades tied to Nike. On continues to grow in prominence, too, luring French soccer star Kylian Mbappé away from Nike to be the face of a new soccer cleat range in 2027.Its financial targets through 2029, outlined to investors on Tuesday, projected at least $6.83 billion in net sales.“The thing with Federer is that he’s been commercially brave,” Steve Martin, founding partner at sponsorship agency MSQ Sport and Entertainment, said during an interview.“He joins Uniqlo first of all, which was a big call coming out of Nike, but the dynamite has been to go with On. To take an equity stake for less of a fee, he’s transformed its value.“When On was building its brand, people didn’t really know what it was, but Federer has set the mold for the next generation of athletes, to think about equity rather than taking a cheque.” Other retired stars in tennis have become investors — Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Andy Murray notable among them — but Federer’s decision to make On stand out among his wider portfolio remains a rare one.Its success has not been dependent on Federer’s investment, but few would discount his influence on the company’s progression. His investment preceded a concerted push into tennis apparel as well as footwear, which led to On signing the likes of six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek, and Ben Shelton, beaten finalist at this year’s U.S. Open, in head-to-toe deals.On is now a great disruptor in the sports-shoe world, taking on more established brands, such as Nike and Adidas.“The equity play is far more interesting when you bring with you that huge relevance, which can significantly increase the value of that asset,” Sher said. Roger Federer wore On shoes during his late career after investing in the Swiss company.Tim Clayton / Corbis via Getty ImagesFederer’s particular standing in his sport is also a factor in the longevity of his commercial appeal. He has been many things to tennis during his career, from the occasionally hot-headed disruptor to Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi of the 1990s and early 2000s to the statesmanlike hero of tennis aesthetes, thanks to his creative, free-flowing style that hid an unbelievable intensity and drive. But through this he has remained Roger Federer: the polished, multi-lingual elite athlete who carries appeal in every corner of the globe.“He transcended the game of tennis. That love that he’s been able to capture from every audience. When Federer goes into a room, the place stops. His presence is up there with the top five or six athletes of all time, I think,” Martin said.Federer’s commercial partners would no doubt agree. Aside from Nike, whose decision to cut ties eight years ago has acted as a blessing in disguise for Federer, he has an untouched roster of backers that have come to entrench his image.He has Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, UBS Bank (which acquired Credit Suisse in 2023), Moët & Chandon and Lindt to name just a few. Those companies, and their prestigious, high-end products, have helped Federer build his own brand. That strategy has been clear and unbroken. Godsick said last year that Federer retains 13 sponsors and the majority have contracted to him for over 20 years.“He outlives some of the management at these brands,” he told Roddick last year. What You Should Read Next As Roger Federer enters the tennis Hall of Fame, he is finally ready to remember The all-time great doesn't do a lot of looking back. Now is the right time, he says, to let his mind play over all that he has done. “Federer will be filtering the brands coming to him, as opposed to a commercial department trying to attract brands to sign up to him,” Martin said. “It’s all incoming and that’s a very different rhythm to a lot of sports stars. That changes the whole dynamic and it’s why he’s still this commercial animal.”Such is their willingness to still back Federer, some of his commercial partners have also attached themselves to the Laver Cup. This has helped build it into a profit-making event that is increasingly popular with players on tour. As it returns to the UK this month, four years on from Federer’s famous last dance at its previous edition there, his influence on the sport is undiminished.“The Laver Cup might end up being one of the most important parts of his legacy post-playing,” Sher said. “Most athletes win trophies and say they just want to focus on the sport. They’re making generational wealth, so why not?“You can argue the same applied to Roger Federer. But, he understood that at some point he was going to retire, and he was building toward that reality when he had huge cultural relevance. That’s what enabled him to have a lot of these conversations which have led him to where he is now.” Philip BuckinghamFollow Sep 25, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports termsPlay today's puzzleWhat did you think of this story?MEHSOLIDAWESOME
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2 weeks ago
https://nytimes.com/athletic/7619586/roger-federer-brand-net-worth-sponsors-tennis-on

Roger Federer's commercial success continues to thrive post-retirement, driven by strategic partnerships like Uniqlo and an equity stake in On. His brand building, initiated during his playing career, has made him one of the wealthiest athletes.

Roger Federer Tennis Sports Business Athlete Endorsements Brand Building Uniqlo On Running Laver Cup

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