• Loading stock data...
Sunday, July 6, 2025
opinion
Athletes

Roger Federer Rules Men’s Tennis, Even in Retirement

  • Federer’s shadow still looms over an enormous and buzzy US Open.
  • He’s been a huge boost for On brand; his agent told FOS how Nike let him walk.
Mike Frey-Imagn Images

By every metric, this has been the biggest US Open ever. 

The prize pool is up 15% from last year to $75 million, the largest for any tennis event in history; the individual prize for the men’s and women’s winner is up 20% from last year to $3.6 million apiece; the Honey Deuce signature cocktail price is up a buck to $23 and generated nearly $10 million in sales last year; TV ratings are expected to set a new record. ESPN just announced it has re-upped to broadcast the US Open through 2037. And so many firsts on the court! It’s the first time an American man and woman are in the final since 2002; if Jessica Pegula wins, it’ll be the first time we’ve had an American win the women’s title in back-to-back years since Serena Williams three-peated from 2012 to 2014; and no matter who wins on the men’s side, this will be the first year since 2002 that no tennis major is won by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer.

That brings me to Federer. Even amid all the excitement over the players who are in this year’s tournament, I saw more memes on my Twitter timeline from when Federer went to the Open on Tuesday night than from any other moment. Frances Tiafoe gushed over having Federer in the building: “The way he looked in the suite was the same way he looked when he was playing. No sweating, tee is ironed and perfect, it’s like, what’s up with this dude, man? Hair perfect … what a guy, what a legend … everyone embraces him wherever he goes, he’s such an icon.”

Indeed, Federer retired two years ago, the same month as Serena Williams, and the star power of both is completely undiminished.

Djokovic and Nadal have won more majors and thus earned more on the court than Federer’s 20 titles and $130.5 million (according to Spotrac data), but it is Federer who, it seems to this fan, remains the face of the men’s sport.

Federer’s Second Career

Next up on his calendar, Federer will head to Berlin in two weeks for the Laver Cup, the indoor competition he cofounded in 2017 with his longtime agent Tony Godsick. This will be Federer’s second Laver Cup since retiring, but his role there is hardly diminished. 

“I always tell sponsors, he’s actually probably more valuable now that he’s not playing,” Godsick told me in an extensive interview this week in our FOS studio in New York, “because he actually has time to spend with their customers, and do interviews, and welcome the players.” That sponsor list is as premium as it gets: Rolex, Mercedes, UBS, Uniqlo, On, and Wilson.

No Nike on that list, you’ll notice. Federer’s 24-year relationship with Nike ended in 2018. I remember covering his move to Uniqlo at the time and being somewhat stunned he ended up with the Japanese fast-fashion retailer.

Godsick told me more about how it all happened: “The contract was coming to an end. What do you do with a 36-year-old soon-to-be-retired athlete? I tried to convince them you can do a lot.” 

Nike didn’t think so. Godsick says he landed on Uniqlo because Federer is truly into fashion. He traveled to Japan to meet Tadashi Yanai of Uniqlo’s parent company, Fast Retailing, and got an offer. Nike “decided they didn’t want to match,” Godsick says.

In 2019, Federer was able to add a deal with On because Uniqlo doesn’t make shoes, so the On deal wasn’t competitive with Uniqlo. (Both On and Federer are Swiss.) Last month, On reported a year-over-year 28% sales bump for its second quarter and cited tennis as a huge part of the growth.

Godsick was an investor in On, and says the founders would always ask him over the years whether there was any way On could ever do something with Federer, and Godsick would say, “No, he’s with Nike; he’ll be with Nike forever.”

Until he wasn’t. And sure, it’s been six years since then, and Nike has a massive portfolio of some of the biggest stars in every sport. Nike isn’t likely bemoaning its loss of Federer in the athlete lineup. But Mike Nakajima, the former tennis director of Nike, is quoted in the 2023 book The Roger Federer Effect railing, “That should never have happened. For us to let somebody like that go, it’s an atrocity. Roger Federer belonged with Nike for the rest of his career.”

That take looks more and more correct as Federer continues to shine in retirement and boost the businesses associated with him. Nike blew it.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Bill Ackman
exclusive

Billionaire Bill Ackman Prepares for ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Tennis Match in..

Ackman says he’s “peaking next week” at the Hall of Fame Open.
opinion

Caitlin Clark’s Media Supporters Pushing Harder Against Slights

Dick Vitale, Colin Cowherd, and others are accusing other WNBA players of jealousy.
A Lululemon store at Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold Township, New Jersey on Nov. 30, 2023

Sportswear Stocks Rise as Trump Touts Vietnam Trade Deal

Tariffs on Vietnam imports will be 20%, down from a prior threat of 46%.

Featured Today

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”

WNBA All-Stars Will Earn $2,575 for Playing in Game

The WNBPA is in the midst of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement
exclusive
July 2, 2025

WNBA Players Reject League’s First CBA Offer

Players felt the initial proposal wasn’t “entirely responsive” to their request.
July 6, 2025

Unrivaled Co-Founders Deny Conflict of Interest With WNBPA Leadership

The WNBA and its union are negotiating a new CBA.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
July 2, 2025

As NBA Free Agency Quiets, Focus Shifts to Potential Extensions

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed a four-year, $285 million extension.
Nov 29, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) celebrates a shot in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
July 1, 2025

Malik Beasley’s Messy Offseason Includes $2.25M Suit From Ex-Agency

The former Pistons player is not having a good summer.
July 1, 2025

Gauff, Pegula Out at Wimbledon in Nightmare Start for American Women, ESPN

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, entering Wimbledon.
Dewanna Bonner
exclusive
July 1, 2025

WNBA Cutdown Deadline Could Spur Deals for DeWanna Bonner, Emma Meesseman

The two big-name free agents could find their WNBA homes in July.