Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, a long-time Nike athlete, has signed on as an ambassador for Uniqlo, the Japanese apparel chain.
On Monday at Wimbledon, Federer wore a White Uniqlo shirt, shorts and headband with white Nike shoes.
A statement released by Uniqlo read: “Uniqlo, the Japanese global apparel retailer, announces today a partnership with Roger Federer, the greatest tennis player of all time and one of the world’s most influential and universally admired people, as its newest Global Brand Ambassador.
“The new partnership means that Mr Federer will represent Uniqlo at all tennis tournaments throughout the year, starting with The Championships, Wimbledon 2018.
Tadashi Yanai, Uniqlo founder and chairman, said: “Mr Federer is one of the greatest champions in history; my respect for him goes beyond sport.
“Our partnership will be about innovation on and off court. We share a goal of making positive change in the world, and I hope together we can bring the highest quality of life to the greatest number of people. Uniqlo will help Mr Federer continue taking tennis to new places, while exploring innovations in a number of areas including technology and design.”
Federer won his last Grand Slam event, the Australian Open, for his 20th major title.
According to ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell, the deal with the Tokyo-based Uniqlo will be for 10 years and could approach more than $300 million in compensation.
Federer had been with Nike for more than two decades. It was in 1994 when the Swiss player signed his first contract with Nike and a $100 million ten-year contract was signed in 2008.
