Roger Federer’s savvy investment nets him almost triple his tennis earnings
Already a multi-millionaire thanks to his tennis career, Roger Federer’s greatest financial gain actually came away from the court.
The Swiss is third in the all-time career prize money top earners in tennis history, behind only Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, but his recent business ventures have seen make a lot more money than he ever did in his career.
Federer was already a fan of Swiss running shoe company On Running so reached out for a partnership with the brand and when your country’s biggest sporting star offers something like that, you say yes.
On Running sold 3% equity in the company to Federer, making him the face of the brand and also designing his own shoe, which had a huge boost to their fortunes.
With Federer’s support and fame, the shoe company’s value soared to $12 billion and when the company went public in September 2021, shares were sold at $24 meaning Federer’s cut was now worth a staggering $360 million almost three times as much as the $130 million he earned in tennis.
On told Tennis365 in April how Federer was involved in creating his own shoe line.
“Roger’s contribution towards the success and immense popularity of The ROGER Pro is unquestionable and he continues to be one of On’s most admired innovation leaders,” they said.
“Roger’s wealth of knowledge and expertise has been instrumental in every aspect of the performance design and technology adapted to meet the demands of the game.
Federer’s skill and marketability have made him one of the richest athletes in the world and in 2020, Forbes named him as the world’s highest-paid athlete.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner also earned a considerable amount from sponsors such as Rolex, Mercedes-Benz, and Wilson.
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In 2018, Japanese apparel maker Uniqlo tempted Federer away from Nike with a 10-year $300 million deal, making it one of the biggest sponsorship deals of any athlete.
Elsewhere, Chilean plant-based food company NotCo received $330 million in investment from a number of the athletes, including Federer as well as F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and golfer Tiger Woods.
Federer is not the only tennis player to dip his toe in investments with Rafael Nadal recently receiving €100 million after selling 44.9% of his tennis academy in Mallorca. The Spaniard also earns money from being a tennis ambassador for Saudi Arabia.
Andy Murray has a number of investments such as Castore, Game4Padel, PerkBox and WeSwap.
The Scot also owns a £2 million hotel near his Dunblane home where he got married.
Last year, Djokovic unveiled a new wellness product, SILA, with Austrian company Waterdrop.
“The idea to create SILA started more than 10 years ago,” Djokovic said.
“I started being more disciplined, passionate and relentless about finding the best ways to improve myself both on and off the court.
“I was so inspired by the overall wellness state I was in and how it was affecting my performance, that I decided to look into creating my own brand that could enrich people’s lives the same way it did mine.”
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