On the tennis court he was precision personified. Today the Swiss shows how style, discipline and timing create value beyond sport.
The Australian Open a few weeks ago: Before the official start of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, Australian tennis legends Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt compete in an exhibition doubles match against Andre Agassi and Roger Federer. Not all of the ex-professionals’ shots are perfect, but that doesn’t matter. Federer and Agassi still win the game. Roger Federer played his last game as a professional in Melbourne in January 2020. At that time he lost in the semifinals against Novak Djokovic in three sets. Six years later, the 44-year-old is back, not as a player, but as a living legend. Nowadays he only picks up the bat for fun. Unlike Djokovic, who follows the show doubles from the front row and enters the title race again the following day. Federer is now playing in a different league. Since last summer he has been one of the few athletes who have made it into the billionaires’ club. His $130.6 million in prize money from 24 years of tennis only accounts for a fraction of this. Federer writes his financial success story away from the court.
The sporting story, on the other hand, begins at the age of eight. But unlike many of his competitors, he is by no means considered an exceptional talent as a youngster. He’s way too hot-headed, likes to swear and throw his bat when something doesn’t work. So he loses a lot of games that he should have won purely based on his ability. It was only in the early 2000s, after intensive work on mentality, fitness and behavior, that Roger Federer became the seemingly effortless, exceptional talent that he is perceived as today. Much more: it is his elegance on the pitch that inspires the spectators and becomes his trademark. In 2003 he won the final at Wimbledon for the first time, beginning an unprecedented career. In the following two decades he won 20 Grand Slam titles, spent 310 weeks at the top of the world rankings and won 103 tournament titles.
However, Federer realizes early on that his life in professional sports will be finite. He enters into long-term advertising deals that ensure him a lucrative income beyond the tennis court. He has a lifetime contract with the supplier Wilson for around $3.5 million annually. Since 2006, he has been a Rolex brand ambassador for an estimated $8 million a year. Mercedes-Benz has been paying him around five million dollars a year since 2008 and provides him with a new vehicle every six months. As Lindt & Sprüngli’s first global brand ambassador, he earned around $20 million. There are also partnerships with UBS, Moët & Chandon and Jura. He works unpaid for Switzerland Tourism. It is his contribution to his homeland.
Mental strength is one of the most important factors for a successful career.”
Uniqlo snaps up Federer
A sizeable portion of this income flows into the Roger Federer Foundation, which he founded in 2004. The foundation’s focus is on early childhood education in six African countries and Switzerland. The approach: no deliveries of goods, but empowerment through collaboration with local partners. The connection to Africa is personal for Federer because his mother comes from South Africa. In 2018, Federer’s long-time outfitter Nike canceled the cooperation. The Swiss was 37 years old at the time, the end of his career seemed near and Federer was suddenly too old for the US giant among sporting goods manufacturers to continue to be considered a testimonial. An insult, no question. But Federer then manages a much better deal. The Japanese textile giant Uniqlo has secured cooperation with him for ten years at a cost of $300 million. Federer is signing one of the most lucrative sponsorship contracts in sports history, which will last even after the end of his career.
Roger Federer doesn’t just earn his money off the tennis court by smiling friendly into the cameras for products and brands. He also becomes active himself. In 2013 he founded the sports management company Team8 together with his agent Tony Godsick. In addition to Federer himself, the boutique agency also represents aspiring tennis stars such as Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton. Team8 advises brands, invests in companies like Universal Tennis and creates events. The most prestigious project is the Laver Cup, a team tournament named after tennis legend Rod Laver in the Ryder Cup format, in which Europe competes against the rest of the world. Federer played his last match there in 2022, alongside Rafael Nadal. The Laver Cup has been an ATP event since 2017 and generates over $20 million annually. Team8 holds the majority, other investors include Brazilian billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann and Tennis Australia. A ten-year contract for media rights was concluded with Discovery.
With On to mega success
Federer made the most profitable decision in 2019. His wife Mirka and friends raved about the running shoes from the Swiss brand On Running. Federer tested them himself and was enthusiastic about the company’s innovation. Instead of a classic sponsorship contract, he offered the founders something different: He invested an estimated $50 million and secured around three percent of the company’s shares. When On went public in 2021, its valuation was $11 billion. Today the market capitalization is around $20 billion. Reputable estimates suggest that Federer’s share is now worth at least $600 million, well over four times his tennis prize money. The success is no coincidence: Federer is deeply involved in product development. He has been designing his own shoe collection with “The Roger” since 2021. For the company, it is seen as the decisive accelerator for global expansion. In 2025, Federer will even appear in a Super Bowl commercial – a clear sign that On is gradually developing from a niche running shoe into a lifestyle brand.
He also invested in a Chilean plant-based food start-up. NotCo produces plant-based alternatives under brands such as NotMilk, NotBurger, NotIceCream and NotMayo and sells them in several countries in North and South America. The food tech company is now valued at $1.5 billion and, in addition to Federer, can count sports greats such as Lewis Hamilton and Tiger Woods among its investors. Federer proves that the most successful career sometimes only begins after the last match point.
On Holding AG
(WKN: A3C20K)
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