Reuters
Roger Federer.
- Roger Federer is set to serve up a financial ace.
- The 20-time Grand Slam champion is used to excelling in tennis but the 36-year-old is just as successful away from the court.
- This is because Federer, who returns to competitive tennis this week, looks set to strike a new clothing sponsor - and it could scoop him a 193% pay rise.
When it comes to sponsorship, it is game, set, and match to Roger Federer.
The 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion continues to set tennis records despite his status as one of the sport's veteran players.
The 36-year-old is the only men's player in the Open Era of tennis to contest 52 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals, the only men's player to win eight Wimbledon Championships, and has an 87.6% winning ratio on hard surfaces - the highest of all male athletes.
But Federer's accomplishments are not exclusive to tennis as he is also a valuable commodity away from the court.
Federer recently featured on the Forbes list of 100 top-earning athletes. Last year, his $77.2 million in earnings ensured he was the top-earning tennis player and the seventh highest-paid athlete in all of sports.
But this year he may earn even more.
This is because his long-running Nike deal, worth a reported $7.5 million every year, reportedly expired in March - and though he is yet to commit to a new agreement, reports suggest he could jump ship to Japanese company Uniqlo.
A clothing arrangement with Uniqlo could scoop Federer a 193% pay increase, as The Times speculates that a new deal could be worth $22 million a year.
There are no guarantees that Federer will sign with Uniqlo as he showed loyalty to his other blue-chip sponsors last year, by renewing deals with Mercedes-Benz and Lindt. According to Forbes, he also signed a deal with Barilla for an estimated $40 million.
Federer has not played competitive tennis since his second round loss to Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Miami Open in March as he decided to skip the clay season so he could be as fit and as fresh for this year's Wimbledon tournament.
He will return at the Stuttgart Open, which begins this week.