Roger Federer shakes hands with Uniqlo CEO Tadashi Yanai at a press conference in Tokyo. GETTY IMAGES
Roger Federer said that his decision to end a 20-year association with Nike and "embark on a new chapter" with Uniqlo was influenced by the Japanese clothing company’s "commitment to stay with him long after his playing days are over," according to Jack Tarrant of REUTERS. While no financial details have been announced, media reports said that the new deal would be worth around $30M a year, compared with the $10M-a-year agreement Federer had with Nike. Federer said that the belief shown in him by Uniqlo CEO Tadashi Yanai and Exec Creative Dir John Jay "had been key." Federer: "John Jay in New York, where I had an event there, said it very nicely, 'One day I will retire from tennis but I will not retire from life.' Life will go on and Uniqlo and Mr. Yanai believed in me very strongly as being very important to their brand, even though maybe my playing days are going to come to an end at some point." One of Federer's goals after he retires is to "develop the charity work started through his foundation," which aims to "empower children in poverty through education," and he said that Uniqlo "shared that vision." He said, "Some people cannot go to school, even though they want to. Some people do go to school but do not get a quality education and so this is where the Roger Federer Foundation has tried to make a difference in the region of Southern Africa" (REUTERS, 10/2).
