The Swiss’ fortune has exploded since he announced the end of his tennis career in 2022, consolidating his place in the billionaires’ club.
Since Roger Federer put away his racket in September 2022, his bank account has never been in such good shape. According to estimates by the Swiss magazine “Bilan”, his fortune has just exceeded one billion Swiss francs in 2024. A success that he owes largely to several investments in sportswear and ready-to-wear brands.
In 2020, he would have earned $106 million, according to the Forbes ranking. A success which allowed him to become the highest paid athlete, even ahead of footballers, basketball players and golfers.
At the age of 16 in 1997, the Swiss player signed a partnership with the American brand Nike estimated at $7.5 million per year. But 20 years later, in 2018, Rogerer Federer entered the prestigious Wimbledon Court wearing a new Japanese brand. Uniqlo would have convinced the star with a commitment of 300 million dollars until 2028. Added to this are two million dollars per year paid to its racket supplier Wilson since 2006.
A myriad of commercial partnerships
In 2019, his earnings are estimated at more than $106 million, making him the highest paid athlete in the world. If his winnings in ATP tournaments are estimated at 130 million dollars, this amount is nothing compared to the fortune he has made thanks to his collaborations with Rolex, Mercedes-Benz, Moët Hennessy, Lindt, Barilla and even the bank Credit Suisse. Last March, Roger Federer also signed a new partnership with eyewear maker Oliver Peoples.
The Swiss therefore very quickly built up a comfortable savings which he did not let lie dormant. The latter took the opportunity to buy shares in a myriad of sports brands. Thus, he became a shareholder in the Zurich running brand On in 2019 and even plays a strategic role in internal marketing or R&D projects. So much so that the company is boosting its sales and listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021.
“His rating will run out of steam. New generations have never seen him play and his line of shoes with On will not achieve the aura of Air Jordan or Stan Smith. He has reached a glass ceiling,” tempers Lionel Maltese, lecturer at Aix-Marseille University, interviewed by Matin Dimanche.
