The latest is Mercedes-Benz, which first partnered with Federer in 2008. The German auto brand’s parent, Daimler, announced an extension today of its endorsement deal with Federer. The new multi-year deal will net Federer an estimated $5 million annually.
“Roger Federer is an outstanding athlete who has shaped tennis for decades and stands for top performance. As a successful top athlete, he ideally represents our brand as we are united by the demand for perfection and the will to succeed,” says Dr. Jens Thiemer, Vice President Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars in a press release on the news.
Mercedes has used tennis as one of the pillars in its marketing for more than two decades. In addition to Federer, Mercedes is a primary sponsor of the US Open and annual Shanghai Tour stop. Mercedes-Benz sponsored the inaugural Laver Cup in Prague last year. The team event featuring players from Europe taking on those from the rest of the world was founded and organized by Federer and his management company, TEAM8.
Athlete-brand partnerships tend to run their course after a few years, but Federer’s brand partners tend to never leave his endorsement stable. Nike, Rolex, Credit Suisse, Jura and Wilson have partnered with Federer for more than a decade. You can add Lindt and Mercedes-Benz to the list as well, with these latest agreements.
The result: Federer’s endorsement earnings are the highest in the world among active athletes at more than $50 million a year. He ranked fourth last year in Forbes’ annual look at the world’s highest-paid athletes with $64 million, including prize money and appearance fees.
Federer’s long-term partnerships, as well as the nearly year-round tennis schedule, don’t leave time for many new brands to enter the fold. But Federer added a new sponsor last year in Barilla, the largest pasta company in the world, with estimated revenue of $3.7 billion. The multi-year deal is worth up to $40 million, according to industry sources.
MORE ON ROGER FEDERER
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 2 in men’s singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Federer has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles—the most in history for a male player—and has held the world No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for 302 weeks, including 237 consecutive weeks. After turning professional in 1998, he was continuously ranked in the top ten from October 2002 to November 2016. He re-entered the top ten following his victory at the 2017 Australian Open.
Federer has won a record eight Wimbledon titles, a record six Australian Open titles, a record five consecutive US Open titles, and one French Open title. He is one of eight men to have captured a career Grand Slam. Federer has reached a record 30 men’s singles Grand Slam finals, including 10 in a row from the 2005 Wimbledon Championshipsto the 2007 US Open (and 18 out of 19 from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships to the 2010 Australian Open). He reached the semifinals at 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, from the 2004 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open. Federer has won 96 career titles, including six ATP World Tour Finals, 27 ATP World Tour Masters 1000, and 19 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments. Given these achievements, many players and analysts consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time with some calling him the greatest athlete of his generation.
Federer’s all-court game and versatile style of play involves exceptional footwork and shot-making. Effective both as a base-liner and a volleyer, his apparent effortlessness and efficient movement on the court has made Federer highly popular among his fans. He has been voted by his peers to receive the tour Sportsmanship Award a record thirteen times, and voted by fans to receive the ATP Fans’ Favorite award for fifteen consecutive years. Federer has been name the Swiss Sports Personality of the Year a record seven times. He was named ATP Player of the Year five times, was named ITF World Champion five times, and won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award for a record four consecutive years, from 2005 to 2008. He @rogerfederer, is also the only individual to have won the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award four times.
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