Roger Federer may have hanged up his tennis racquet last year but the Swiss maestro is ever motivated to expand his skillset by trying the two-handed backhands at a Uniqlo sponsor event in New York.
The Swiss maestro has had one of the most beautiful yet powerful and efficient single-handed backhands on the tour but it was a liability (against two-handers) for the better part of his career – mostly exploited by Nadal and Djokovic who would consistently target his uncomfortable wing – until he transformed it into an asset and lethal counterpunch force under the top Croat coach Ivan Ljubicic in the latter part of his career.
It seems that Federer also gives two-handers an edge over the single-handed backhand strikes and wants the students of game to learn it.
A smiling and relaxed wanted to experience the power of the both-handed hitting as he landed on the makeshift court to hit some balls with the young fans.
Let me try… I haven’t it for a long time,” he said before demonstrating what appeared to be a pretty solid weapon that troubled him throughout his career, particularly in prime.
Equally active in both tennis and business communities, Federer, who is one of the biggest earners in tennis, was out for another busy day in the tennis afterlife for promotions mandated by Uniqlo with whom the Swiss signed a deal – extending beyond his career – after parting ways with Nike.
Leaving the tennis scene, 20-time Slam Champion, with his unrivaled charm and charisma has signed up for new off-court adventures. One of the Federer’s newest ventures include him partnering with Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson for the launch of new Federer clothing line for UNIQLO – a famous Japanese casual wear brand.
The 42-year old who happens to be a fan of apparel and sneakers told WWD (Women’s Wear Daily): “I’ve always wanted to have a collection perfect for playing tennis while also versatile for the other parts of daily life.
“I’m fortunate that Jonathan shared this vision. Together we were able to create a stylish and comfortable line rooted in a classic tennis style.
“Jonathan is talented, creative and incredibly down-to-earth. It has been a pleasure to work with him on this collection.”
He also promoted his new clothing collection in an interview given to New York Times: “We have such a great style history in tennis. René Lacoste and Stan Smith were wonderful tennis players.
“I feel it’s important to remember where we came from. And if I can make tennis look stylish, I think I should do that.
“My collection is designed to be worn while you are playing or afterward. It’s been difficult for some reason, I don’t know why, to do this crossover — from on court to off court.
“Not the sweaty look, of course, but let’s say you don’t sweat, you can still wear my clothes to walk on the street and look stylish.
“The starting point is the one that gets me the most nervous. It’s important to give the collection a direction and know where you want to end up.”
Federer is clearly enjoying his post-tennis life as he has enjoyed his tour level life and glorious career, one of the greatest in tennis history. However, the Basel native is still in some way connected with the tour life after all the travelling and hustle that comes with the promotions/sponsorship duties and the big money is still rolling in for the Swiss despite unable to take the prize money from tennis courts. The UNIQLO deal makes one of the most lucrative deal in all of sport is an extension of the original 2018 deal that spreads 10-year for a $300 million endorsement contract. Thanks to the Nike Split and UNIQLO deal, it also enabled him to become an investor in the Swiss performance footwear company On Shoes and promote its shoes.
One of the most influential tennis stars to have played the game, Roger, remaining a Nike athlete for two dozen years (yes 24!) called time on his career at the age of 41 at 2022 Laver Cup edition. The Swiss star who will be celebrating his 42nd birthday in a couple of days means business – both on and off-court – as he now cherishes a 10 year UNIQLO deal and 3% stake (valued at roughly $200m in Q1 of 2023) in On Running Shoe brand, that is worth £12 billion now.
Apart from honoring his ambassadorial commitment with the Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo, the retired workaholic GOAT of tennis has been actively engaged with his native brand, On, doing charity and philanthropy chores for his foundation, joining Coldplay for onstage performances, launching his latest series “Around the World with Roger Federer and spectating live Wimbledon matches as a Royalty with Princess of Wales.