Still in demand: Roger Federer is a popular advertising face – but also increasingly controversial. Image: keystone
Analyse
Since he no longer appeared as an athlete, but only as an entrepreneur, ambassador and advertising figure, Roger Federer has been criticized. For what reason? An attempt at explanation.
Simon Häring / ch media
Like no other, Roger Federer stands for consensus and diplomacy – in Switzerland and around the world. He rarely comments on climate change, rarely on human rights, and not at all on elections and votes.
This was already true during his career, which he ended in autumn 2022 with his tennis family. And it still applies today, as Federer no longer appears as an athlete, but only as an entrepreneur, an ambassador on his own behalf and – above all – as an advertising figure.
Roger Federer used to be able to let his tennis speak for itself.Image: keystone
As long as he was still playing for titles and records, as long as he represented Switzerland in the world, as long as Federer enchanted people with his game and his personality, he could also retreat to his role as an athlete. Criticism of a trip through Latin America while there was massive social unrest there, of his second home in Dubai or of his construction project on Lake Zurich seemed to roll off his back.
An ideal projection surface
Unlike Novak Djokovic, Federer always tried not to polarize and offend off the tennis court. The fact that he does not comment on political or social debates means that he remains suitable for the masses. This is probably the only reason Federer can advertise for luxury brands such as Rolex, Moët & Chandon, Mercedes or Netjets (an airline that provides private jets to the super-rich) and at the same time for Jura coffee machines and Switzerland Tourism.
How narrow the line is that Roger Federer walks is becoming clear these days. He rarely gives interviews – and when he does, it’s mainly to promote his own business. Like at the beginning of February, when Federer spoke in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” about his Laver Cup, which has been held since 2017. He sees the competition as his legacy to tennis.
Federer avoids the word Saudi Arabia
Federer says he still follows the sport often. He also noticed that Saudi Arabia is investing huge sums in sports such as football, Formula 1, boxing and golf as part of a tourism offensive. In autumn, the desert state hosts the “Six Kings Slam” in the capital Riyadh; with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune. The fact that the exhibition fight takes place during the season is tantamount to breaking a taboo.
When asked whether there was not too much tennis being played, Federer remained vague. He argued with “supply and demand” and that during exhibition matches “something flows into foundations for a good cause” and that they “help tennis develop. Especially in areas where the sport is not yet very present.” Federer didn’t mention the word Saudi Arabia and avoided the cliff with his usual skill.
Does Cup bald in Saudi Arabia?
When the journalist from the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” wanted to know what he thought of the accusation of “sportswashing” that accompanies Saudi Arabia, it was not Federer who answered, but rather his manager, Tony Godsick. He says: “Sport is a language that everyone speaks. Sport can enable dialogue and change.” What changes? Godsick doesn’t do that.
And anyway: Formula 1 is already there, football, boxing, golf – and tennis is also established in Saudi Arabia. The NextGen Finals, the tournament for the best young professionals, and exhibition fights would have already taken place there. It is clear to him: “One day the Laver Cup could be in Saudi Arabia.”
If it gets political, Federer leaves the word to Godsick.
Federer’s man for politics: Tony Godsick and the Basel native in 2013.Image: Getty Images North America
The Laver Cup is his tournament, his affair of the heart, his idea. He is a thought leader, pacesetter and face of the continental competition. If he vetoes it, the Laver Cup will not take place in Saudi Arabia.
It’s not about excluding the desert state, but about addressing grievances and not just going there because the royal family clouds the minds of the (male) athletes with immoral amounts of money. For example, women are treated like second-class citizens, subject to male guardianship and whose access to healthcare and education is difficult.
Or that beheadings, amputations and stonings take place regularly. Or that Saudi Arabia ranks 150th out of 167 countries in the democracy index published by the British magazine “The Economist”.
Federer is a father of four, including two daughters. Who, if not him, would be suitable to initiate the dialogue and changes that Godsick says sport makes possible?
Here Federer, who is committed to education in Africa. There Federer, whose Laver Cup is linked to Saudi Arabia, where women have poor access to education. It’s all still just a thought game, but it’s a contradiction that can only be resolved if Federer takes a stand.
He founded the Laver Cup himself – Roger Federer celebrated his farewell there in 2022. Image: keystone
Federer’s public appearances – it seems – follow a well-thought-out plan. He spoke to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” against the backdrop of the Laver Cup taking place in Berlin in the fall. The day after the publication it was announced that Alexander Zverev was playing there.
Zverev als Posterboy des Laver Cups
At the end of October, a criminal order was issued against Zverev by the Tiergarten Berlin district court. Because he is said to have attacked his former partner, he was sentenced to a fine of 450,000 euros. Zverev completely rejects the allegations and has filed an appeal. The case will be heard in court from the end of May.
In 2020, another of the German’s ex-girlfriend published pictures that were said to show injuries from alleged attacks. These took place as part of the Laver Cup 2019 in Geneva. Zverev is said to have hit her in the face several times. She then tried to commit suicide. She did not file a complaint. Zverev denies the allegations.
A few weeks after the Laver Cup 2019, Zverev and Roger Federer traveled through Latin America for a week, playing exhibition matches in five countries in seven days in Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, Quito and Mexico City. The game in Bogotá had to be canceled after the government imposed a curfew due to social unrest.
Federer as a target for activists
At that time, Zverev was still under contract with Federer’s agency Team 8. Shortly after the allegations became known, they separated. Federer said in May 2021 that he personally had nothing to do with the decision. Regarding the case, he said: “This is a private matter that I don’t want to talk about.” Now Zverev is the poster boy of the Laver Cup.
If in doubt, it is better not to say anything – it is a doctrine that also follows the shoe brand On, in which Federer has been a partner for several years. In January, the magazine K-Tipp reported that On achieved above-average margins compared to the competition because it produces at significantly lower prices in Vietnam and sells expensively in Switzerland. In addition, On declares half of the products incorrectly.
Roger Federer has been a partner in the Swiss company On.Image: www.imago-images.de for several years
On disputes the representation of the K-Tipp.
On is also criticized because of its wages. According to Public Eye, seamstresses earn a minimum wage of between 120 and 170 francs per month for a 48-hour week. With a lot of overtime you could earn 250 francs. According to David Hachfeld from Public Eye, “these wages are not enough to support a family,” writes K-Tipp.
On promises that from 2025, “100 percent” of major suppliers in Vietnam will pay “living wages”.
That too: reason for criticism. And here too the ideal target: Roger Federer, even if it is not clear how much he participates in On.
On Wednesday, February 14th, a man sits at a sewing machine in Zurich’s District 5 in front of the On flagship store. There is blood on his hands and running down his body – symbolic of the poor wages of the seamstresses, the activists wrote in a statement.
The man is wearing a Federer mask. This also shows that the wind has become rougher for Roger Federer.
2024-02-18 04:02:15
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