Withdrawals 2022: Federer ends his career 1:00
(CNN) --
When Roger Federer made the decision to quit tennis last year at age 41, he did so as one of the sport's most influential figures.
Federer was dominant on the court, winning 20 Grand Slam singles titles between 2003 and 2018 and spending a total of 310 weeks at the top of the men's rankings throughout his career.
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Off the pitch, the Swiss star proved eminently businesslike, picking up a lucrative portfolio of endorsements that made him one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
Even last year, when he didn't play a single ATP Tour event, Forbes estimated that he had a pre-tax gross of $90.7 million.
Federer's marketability, specifically his longstanding endorsement deal with sportswear giant Nike, is one aspect of the tennis star's life and career being explored in a new book, "The Roger Federer Effect ".
"While writing the book, we realized what an enormous impact Federer had, not only within tennis, but also outside of it," Simon Cambers, co-author of the book, told CNN Sport's Amanda Davies last month.
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In the following excerpt from "The Roger Federer Effect", Mike Nakajima, former director of tennis at Nike, explains what made Federer and Nike such a perfect match, stating that Nike could have done for Federer what it did for Michael Jordan.
Federer retired from tennis last year having won 20 Grand Slam titles.
(Credit: Anja Niedringhaus/AP)
'He knew it was going to be big'
The main players in world tennis always rent houses near The All England Club during Wimbledon to hold meetings and receive their athletes.
"The athletes have a safe haven there," said Mike Nakajima, Nike's director of tennis for 29 years.
"They can come hang out and nobody asks them for photos."
Roger Federer was very comfortable in the Nike house as a young man, happy to drop by, make himself a ham and cheese sandwich and watch Wimbledon on TV.
In 2016, it happened that the Nike people on Arthur Road, across Wimbledon Park from The All England Club, were practically neighbors to the Federers.
"We had an indoor swimming pool and also a tennis court in the back. It was very bad," says Nakajima.
"We ended up resurfacing the field because we wanted to stay in that house, we put the Nike logo on it and everything turned out very well."
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The Nike house became the second home of the Federers during the Championship.
Mirka (Federer's wife) and one of the nannies went swimming with the children and Roger played tennis with them.
"From my room I could see the tennis court," says Nakajima.
"So I saw Roger giving balls to his children. It was almost embarrassing to see Roger Federer, the best player, playing tennis on one of the worst tennis courts. Later, he told me that one of the children told him: ' Dad, can you get off the field so my brother and I can play?' He was off to the side and his little boys were playing together. I asked, 'Hey Rog, when was the last time you got kicked out? a court?' He just smiled. It must be fun being around your kids."
Nakajima worked with many stars at Nike, from John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova to Federer and Rafael Nadal.
She even accompanied Williams as a shopping assistant (not her specialty).
She met Federer when Nike signed him at the age of 13.
"He had promise, one of the best juniors. We signed him and I could tell right away that he's naturally charismatic and well-spoken. And I could tell he knew he was going to be big."
Federer's success story also turned out to be a lucky break for Nike.
After Sampras and Agassi, Federer turned out to be the next tennis superstar.
When Andy Roddick, hired by competing company Reebok, won the US Open in 2003, Nakajima hoped it would be the start of the next American wave in tennis.
"But it wasn't to be. Europe became the hotbed of tennis, and Roger was the start."
Nike set out to popularize Federer in the US "I'm a bit biased," says Nakajima.
"But nobody does better marketing than Nike. When you've got the big Nike marketing machine behind you, that can blow that athlete up through the stratosphere."
"Roger would have been famous on his own. Even if he played for any other brand. But he got so much bigger thanks to Nike's marketing machine. The exposure that Nike can give an athlete is incredible. Obviously, you have to have success on the court, and Roger had it. He won a few US Opens; that was an eye-opener for a lot of people."
The association with Nike soon expanded into new territories.
"Roger got into the fashion world, he met Anna Wintour from Vogue, he did photo shoots for GQ," says Nakajima.
Federer made Wimbledon, the holy grail of tennis, his catwalk.
There he paraded in an old-school cardigan, a white blazer, or long white pants.
He was also wearing matching accessories.
In 2006, he sported a logo on the left breast pocket of his jacket with his last name;
the following year, she carried her initials for the first time: RF.
Federer was a pioneer in this regard.
Later, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray also created logos for him.
Federer wears Nike shoes on Center Court at Wimbledon in July 2019. (Credit: Tim Clayton/Corbis Sport/Getty Images)
Nakajima said: "A lot of elite athletes started having signed lines because that became a bargaining chip for companies to sign them. If you sign with us, we'll create your own logo, and we'll create a shoe for which you'll receive royalties. What athletes will say, 'No, I don't want that'?"
The RF line was innovative.
"We used to create a t-shirt for everyone, American style, baggy, and then we realized that the Europeans are way ahead in fashion. Roger wanted it much more tailored. So we started creating the Roger Federer collection.
"It's something that Mirka was very involved in. When Roger wasn't available, Mirka was. She told us, 'This is what Roger likes,' and we went by that. And we wanted to make sure that the tennis product What we were doing, especially for Roger, could be worn as fashion. A nice polo shirt with a little RF logo on it; people went crazy for it. The RF cap was the best seller at the US Open. A cap. It became a one of the most iconic pieces we've ever created."
Nike was lucky to have under contract not only Federer, but also his rival Nadal.
"Roger and Rafa have very similar personalities. They are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. But on the pitch they are completely different. Roger plays like he's walking on a cloud, light on his feet. Rafa is the complete opposite; his physique is sheer brute force. Americans love rivalry, and we portrayed it. People love to take sides. Come on Rafa! Allez Roger! And we had a lot of fun marketing those two."
Federer became the highest-earning tennis player of all time, earning more than $100 million a year in his (financial) prime from prize money and advertising deals, according to Forbes.
"He has great marketing ability," says Nakajima.
"I saw him speak four languages in one interview and just switch languages. People tend to go for someone willing to share his persona and be honest. He can appeal to any audience. And people think he's telling the truth, whatever Roger's tone is. It's that believable."
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How does Nakajima explain Federer surpassing his biggest rivals in terms of marketability?
"I'm not sure Rafa wants to be the highest paid in the world. I don't think he cares. Rafa is Rafa, he has done extremely well and I don't think he needs anything else. Roger wanted to be marketed so he appealed to different brands , audiences and consumer groups. And your management company has done an amazing job."
And Djokovic?
"He could well be the most successful tennis player in history. But there is always a black cloud around him. It is as if he brought it on himself. He hits the linesman at the US Open (in 2020) and is disqualified? These are things that happen, I suppose.
"But why does it always happen to Novak? Or all the controversy over the covid-19 vaccine. Now, as a brand: do I want to be behind someone who always has controversy around him? Or do I prefer an athlete with an image flawless?".
Although he became a superstar, Federer was never untrue to himself, Nakajima said: "I've had the privilege of meeting so many world-class athletes. He's high on my list, as far as Roger is concerned, the one who he changes the rules of the game, because of what a good person he is. Yes, he has a lot more money and a lot more of everything. But he hasn't changed. Money and fame change people a lot. I won't name names, but certainly there are athletes in our sport who have changed. Money changed the way they see things, act and talk to people. Roger never did that."
Nakajima fondly remembers Roger Federer's day at the Nike campus near Beaverton, Oregon, which must have been in 2007. "We have world-class athletes visiting the Nike campus all the time. But hardly anyone at Nike comes to work. with athletes and seeing them, so we like to create an event when they visit us.
"Roger served coffee and donuts that day. He taught a gym class, delivered lunch, worked as a cashier, and played tennis with the Wii in the lobby of one of the buildings. It takes a kind of person to do that. No there are a lot of athletes who accept it. Roger was the perfect guy to do it. He's very nice."
Nakajima continued, "People love to hate successful people. They're jealous. But it always amazes me that no one says anything negative about Roger. The way he presents himself to others, others like him. The way he treats others others with respect, knows the public and can adapt his conversation according to it, knows how to speak with adults and children.
"I had an event that was supposed to be an hour and it was four hours. Four hours. Who does that? He knows these are the people who watch him play. These are the people who sponsor him. He gets it."
Federer signed a lucrative deal with the Japanese brand Uniqlo in 2018. (Credit: Mark Brown/Getty Images)
When Federer left Nike in the summer of 2018 after 24 years, moving to Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo on a 10-year, $300 million contract, it came as a shock to Nakajima.
"That should never have happened. For us to let someone like that go is an atrocity. Roger Federer belonged to Nike for the rest of his career. Like Michael Jordan. Like LeBron James, like Tiger Woods. He is among the best Nike athletes of all the times. I'm still disappointed. But it happened. I have to get over it. It wasn't my decision and I wasn't there for it."
Nakajima left Nike in 2017 to start his own business.
He founded the company BaseLine Performance Finance, which works with athletes and sports organizations.
However, he remains linked to Nike, since his wife, his brother and one of his three children work there.
For Federer, the move to Uniqlo paid off, as it allowed him to become an investor in Swiss performance shoe company On and promote his shoes.
And it all revolves around the sneakers, right?
"I'm sure everything works out for a reason," says Nakajima.
"Roger is going to be fine. I'm happy for him. I probably would have done the same thing if I was in the same boat. Who would have turned down a $30 million a year contract? But it should never have gotten to that point. Nike continues selling millions and millions of pairs of Jordan shoes. When was the last time Michael played? Many, many years ago. They could have done the same for Roger. For years, they could have created shoes with the RF logo on them."
Where does Nakajima see the Swiss after his career?
"I don't imagine he's going to be a commentator; nothing against that. But I'm sure he's thinking about other things. He's a very smart guy; if you're a company, who wouldn't want someone like Roger working with you? I think that he will go on to other things. And his name will live on forever as one of the greatest athletes of all time."
This is an edited excerpt from "The Roger Federer Effect: Rivals, Friends, Fans and how the Maestro changed their lives", published by Pitch. It will go on sale in the United States on February 14.
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