Federer's deal with Uniqlo has dampened for now, with his Wimbledon outfit revealed to be made by NikeGETTY IMAGES
Nike will "continue to provide outfits for Roger Federer" at Wimbledon next week "despite ongoing speculation" that Federer is set for a sponsorship change to Japanese brand Uniqlo, according to Michael Potts of the London EXPRESS. Rumors of the 20-time grand slam champ debuting next week a new 10-year deal with Uniqlo that had been valued at $30M have been "dampened for now, with Federer's all-white Wimbledon outfit revealed to be made by Nike" (EXPRESS.co.uk, 6/27).
LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD: Former Nike Dir of Tennis Marketing Mike Nakajima appeared on this week's “Sports Business Radio Podcast” and said the top players "have a lot to say" in terms of the product development process. Nakajima singled out Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, saying, "They have a lot of say in what they wear, and what they wear is a little bit different than what the rest of the group wears." Nakajima: "The top athletes, we do speak with them often. I would say, maybe, five or six times a year making sure that the product we’re making is something that they’re really going to look forward to wearing. ... They’re the only ones who are going to be wearing it. They have to love the stuff. I’ll be honest with you, there’s been times when they haven’t loved the stuff and sometimes it affects their play.” Nakajima told host Brian Berger a story about when Federer visited Nike's headquarters years ago and ran back into the building after he realized he forgot to thank one person for making his shoes. Nakajima: “You don’t see that from world-class athletes. That’s why, several years ago, we created Roger Federer Day on Nike campus. … Normally, when an athlete that big comes to Nike, everyone caters to him, right? That day, Roger catered to us” (“Sports Business Radio Podcast,” AUDIOBOOM.com, 6/26).
