Roger Federer Opens Up On Nike Split, Happy With Uniqlo Deal

Roger Federer has finally opened up on his split with Nike after almost two decades of being sponsored by the American sports apparel and equipment manufacturer.

The “Swoosh” and the Swiss ace have been synonymous in the years gone by, but they failed to reach an agreement over an extension after his contract expired earlier in the year.

Federer continued to wear Nike clothes and shoes for more than one tournament after his contract expired, but debuted his new Uniqlo outfit at Wimbledon in July, confirming rumors that he had made the switch to the Japanese apparel manufacturer.

The 20-time men’s singles Grand Slam champion admitted it was time to move on after they — Federer and his representatives — failed to reach an agreement with Nike despite holding negotiations for over a year. He indicated the American sportswear brand was not willing to meet his demands, which were then met by Uniqlo.

Federer has reportedly signed a 10-year deal with the Japanese brand worth $300 million. Despite wearing the Uniqlo outfit since Wimbledon, he does have a contract with Nike for his footwear. The latter also own the RF logo, which the Swiss ace is hoping to acquire sooner rather than later.

“It was probably time to move on ,” Federer said recently, as quoted on Tennis World USA. “We had some tough negotiations 10 years ago, 15 years ago, so you get used to it. But it’s all good. We tried to work it out for a year, maybe even more than a year — and from my point of view, I thought I was being reasonable.”

“But everybody sees it differently. And what you see as your value may be not what they see. I’m happy to be proven right, with this long-term deal with Uniqlo ,” the eight-time Wimbledon winner added.

Federer revealed he will be meeting French fashion designer Christophe Lemaire in the coming weeks to decide on the color, designs and prints of his Uniqlo outfits going forward.

He admitted he was still unclear if the Japanese brand wants him to wear just one design throughout the season or multiple. Federer believes they will have a lot of work to do if they choose the latter.

“To see what direction we want to go in, in terms of colour and designs and prints patterns ,” Federer added. “And also I want to find out just how many different outfits they want me to wear during the season. … If they want me to wear just one outfit the entire season, then it will be very simple, but if they want to wear 10 outfits, then we obviously have a lot of work to do.”

The 37-year-old was knocked out in the fourth round at the recently concluded US Open in New York. But Federer’s next assignment is the Laver Cup which will take place in Chicago between Sept. 21 and 23.