Roger Federer’s Silent Power Play-Tennis Star Joins Cristiano Ronaldo in Billionaire Athletes’ Circle Few Could Ever Reach
Roger Federer hasn’t played professionally for almost three years, but the tennis legend continues to make headlines.
The Swiss superstar, arguably the greatest male player in history, now has another accolade to his ever-growing list: being a billionaire.
According to Forbes, the 44-year-old has joined the 10-figure club with a net worth of $1.1billion (£813million).
The publication attributes that wealth to his significant minority stake, estimated at three per cent, in Swiss shoe and apparel brand On – who he has been affiliated with since 2019
On went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 and now has a market capitalisation of nearly $15bn (£11.1bn), with Federer’s equity worth more than $375m (£277.3m).
On’s roster of tennis stars include six-time grand slam winner Iga Swiatek, men’s world No 6 Ben Shelton and teenage prodigy Joao Fonseca.
During his playing days, where he won 103 tournaments over a 24-year career, Federer earned nearly $131m (£97m) in prize money and made around $1bn (£739m) in pre-tax off-court earnings via multiple sponsorship deals.
That included $150m (£110m) from Nike over two decades to wear their apparel. He left them in 2018, after 24 years, to sign for Japanese brand Uniqlo in a 10-year deal worth $300m (£228m).
However, Uniqlo don’t make footwear, allowing Federer to start his relationship with Zurich-based On. The rest is now history.
Aside from his apparel and footwear deals, he has long-standing sponsorships including Lindt, Mercedes-Benz, Rolex and Moet & Chandon.
All of his off-court income allowed him to become the world’s highest-paid tennis player for 16-consecutive years. Furthermore, in 2020 he was the highest-earning sportsperson with a then-$106.3m (£78.6m) estimated pre-tax.
The feat for Federer means he joins the rarefied air of becoming only the eighth athlete to become a billionaire.
Fellow former tennis player Ion Tiriac ($2.7bn – £2bn) became the first to hit 10-monetary figures in 2007 when he began investing in real estate, car dealerships and financial services.
Basketball icon Michael Jordan followed seven years later with the six-time NBA champion now estimated to be worth $3.8bn (£2.8bn).
