Roger Federer walks out at Wimbledon in Uniqlo

A sponsor revealed on Centre Court

On Monday 2 July 2018, Roger Federer, the defending champion, opened Centre Court on the first day of Wimbledon against Dusan Lajovic.¹ When he walked out, he was not wearing Nike. His white kit carried the small red square of Uniqlo, on the shirt and as two red squares on the headband.²

The switch had been rumoured, but it was confirmed only when he stepped onto the court.³ At the champion's press conference the day before, Federer had appeared in a suit with no brand visible.² Uniqlo issued its statement the same day: "Uniqlo, the Japanese global apparel retailer, announces today a partnership with Roger Federer". He would represent the brand at all tennis tournaments throughout the year.² Federer won 6-1, 6-3, 6-4.² After Lajovic held his first service game, Federer took the next nine games in a row.³ Nothing about the match was unusual. Everything about the clothing was.

The match as the launch

Uniqlo made no announcement before the match.³ It let the opening match on Centre Court carry the news. The setting helped. Against Wimbledon's white clothing, the red Uniqlo square stood out on the player, and every photograph of the opening match carried it. The brand that had built its reputation on plain basics presented its new signing in its plainest form: white clothing with a small logo.

The kit itself came from the brand's own development work. According to The Retail Bulletin, it was made at Uniqlo's research and development centre in Paris.⁴ After the match Federer described the moment in simple terms. "I was excited to wear Uniqlo today, I must tell you," he said. "It's been a long time coming."⁵

What the deal did not include

Two things on Centre Court still belonged to Nike. The first was his shoes. Federer kept playing in Nike, Bloomberg reported, "as Uniqlo doesn't make athletic footwear."⁶ "I don't have a shoe deal," Federer said after the match. "For now, I will be wearing Nike."⁷ He left the question open: "They have shown interest to have a shoe deal with me, as well." And: "But everything is open."⁷

The second was his monogram. The RF logo, which Federer had worn on Nike clothing, was owned by Nike. "Yeah, so the RF logo is with Nike at the moment, but it will come to me at some point," he said, and added: "They are my initials. They are mine."⁷ He also noted: "The good thing is it's not theirs forever."⁷ The relationship he was leaving was long. Federer signed his first Nike contract in 1994, and his apparel contract expired on 1 March 2018.⁶ "I have deep roots with Nike," he said on the day of the switch.⁷

Markets noticed. According to the Financial Times, Nike shares fell 1.7 percent on 2 July, a day after reaching a record high.⁸

What Uniqlo bought

Uniqlo was not new to tennis. According to the Financial Times, it had signed Novak Djokovic to a five-year deal in 2012, and its parent Fast Retailing had reported record revenue of 1.86 trillion yen in the twelve months to August 2017.⁸ Federer had already confirmed at Halle in June that his Nike contract had ended in March.² Neither side disclosed terms. ESPN, citing sources, reported more than $300 million guaranteed over ten years, payable even if Federer stopped playing.⁹ The Financial Times put his previous Nike deal at a reported $120 million over ten years.⁸ Reuters cited media estimates of about $30 million a year from Uniqlo, against about $10 million a year from Nike.²

The reported structure explains the choice. Uniqlo was not buying a racket sport. It was buying a person whose image would outlast his career. Tadashi Yanai, founder of Uniqlo and CEO of Fast Retailing, said "my respect for him goes beyond sport" and "Our partnership will be about innovation on and off court." Federer answered: "But like Uniqlo, I also have great love for life, culture and humanity."¹⁰

The deal then plays out over years. In 2020 Nike agrees to hand the RF trademark to Federer's company, and the initials appear on Uniqlo caps that December.¹¹ Federer retires in September 2022,¹² and the partnership continues; in 2025 he co-designs his own collection for Uniqlo.¹³

The walk-out remains the moment the partnership was made public, and it set the terms. A Japanese clothing retailer put its logo on the defending Wimbledon champion, on the opening day, without saying a word beforehand. The missing swoosh did the announcing.