Fedex marks 20th Wimbledon with ‘RM1.2b’ windfall

ROGER FEDERER (caricature) boosted his bank balance by a reported US$300m (RM1.2b) yesterday, marking his 20th straight Wimbledon appearance with a new clothing deal.

The 36-year-old eight-time Wimbledon champion penned a contract with Japanese giants Uniqlo, virtually severing a two-decade association with Nike in the process.

His deal has been widely estimated to be worth US$300m 10 years, compared to the US$10m (RM40m) he was reportedly making each year from US heavyweights Nike.

Curiously, he was still wearing Nike shoes for his 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 win over Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic on Centre Court on Monday.

Reluctant to discuss figures, Federer is now in a league of his own when it comes to career earnings.

Forbes recently ranked him as raking in around US$77m (RM311m) last year alone in endorsements and prize money.

According to Forbes, only basketball superstar LeBron James and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo are in the same earnings bracket.

“I was excited to wear Uniqlo today. I must tell you, it’s been a long time coming,” said Federer.

For the moment, Nike retain the rights to Federer’s iconic ‘RF’ logo but the Swiss star anticipates ownership of that too in good time.

“The RF logo is with Nike, but it will come to me at some point,” he added. “I hope rather sooner than later, that Nike can be nice and helpful in the process to bring it over to me.

“It’s also something that was very important for me, for the fans really. They are my initials. They are mine. The good thing is it’s not theirs forever.”

Federer insists that he has not had a full divorce from Nike – hence the US company’s shoes on the feet of the 20-time Grand Slam winner.

“I don’t have a shoe deal. I’m looking forward to see what shoes I will be wearing in the near future. For now, I will be wearing Nike. They have shown interest to have a shoe deal with me, as well. Ties are not broken there. I have deep roots with Nike.

“I’ve had a great r elationship over the last 20 years. But everything is open.” – AFP