Roger Federer started a new chapter in his playing career on Monday as he took to the court for the time in a tracksuit that didn’t feature the Nike logo.
The 36-year-old recently signed a 10-year deal worth more than a guaranteed $300 million with Japanese brand Uniqlo that includes a clause that says he will collect the money even if he retires before the deal concludes.
Federer has represented Nike for more than 20 years as he first started rocking their gear back in 1994, but he didn’t ditch his old brand entirely as he still wore Nike tennis shoes for his opening match against Dušan Lajović.
Although Federer has pretty much represented Nike since day one, it’s tough to turn down a deal that’s guaranteed to pay him a minimum of $300 million regardless of if he plays for 10 more years or not. Also, according to ESPN, Federer’s deal with Uniqlo allows him to put his own patches on his shirts, which he wasn’t able to do while he was with Nike.
Federer also mentioned that Nike still owns the rights to his RG logo, but said “it will come to me at some point.”
(H/T ESPN)
