22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal’s deal with Nike is a little bit more loftier than anyone else’s in the sport currently. The Spaniard gets $10 million USD per year from the Oregon-based brand. Nadal has been wearing a Nike kit and apparel for a long time now. However, the Spanish legend’s reduced appearances and frequent withdrawals from ATP Tour matches and events especially since the start of 2023, would be a cause of concern for a brand like Nike.
Nike has been burning money off late and as a result, have seen layoffs within the company globally. While the brand continues to invest in big sporting names across the globe, Nadal not participating on court does not help their reputation. The Spaniard is facing backlash after announcing that he would not play at Indian Wells 2024 at the 11th hour, having been out for 2 out of the first 3 months of 2024. It does not help that Rafael Nadal completed his Netflix Slam 2024 match commitment, which was against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas and did not look distressed or unfit while playing.
It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament at Indian Wells.
Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here. That’s also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready. pic.twitter.com/gmvs5kfGO2— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) March 7, 2024
Undoubtedly Rafael Nadal has a brilliant Instagram game, which sees him post a lot of content often by himself to his all-time tennis record, 21 million followers on the social media app. This is besides his 15.5 million followers on X and another 14 million on Facebook. Fans consume that content often with the famous Nadal raging bull Nike logo visible, which anyway would give the brand mileage. Yet, perception makes a big difference for even the biggest of sporting superstars and brands often do not want to warrant backlash for the controversies players become a part of.
It would be interesting to see if Nike reevaluates Nadal’s deal and reduce his pay, knowing that his best days are now clearly behind him. But as they have done with Michael Jordan and with Tiger Woods having left the brand recently, Rafael Nadal would possibly continue to be a top draw for the global retail giant. Probably, as long as the Spaniard can handle the perception game well now, manage to retain his fans and be in the limelight positively.
The advantage for Rafael Nadal to atleast have the same $10 million deal going ahead is that Nike does not have a bigger men’s tennis name than him at present. Roger Federer was until 2019. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are growing stars of the game and will still take time to mature as well as to have that reputation and fanbase that Nadal commands. While in the women’s game, currently, Serena Williams is the player they are banking on, even after her retirement.
What role does Nike play in the Rafael Nadal net worth?
In the first half of 2023, Rafael Nadal’s net worth was already $323.61 million as per Marca. His valuation has grown from there. Although no specific year is mentioned as to when Nadal first signed his $10 million per year contract with Nike, reports suggest that he first wore its ‘Raging Bull’ logo in 2013. Therefore, on calculation, a $10 million deal per year for 10 years makes it $100 million already earned from Nike. And this is excluding all bonuses, perks, royalties from sales as well as his deals with Nike before 2013.
This makes up for around 30% of his total net worth. With so many brands under his association and with enormous sums of prize money received over the years, it is staggering to think that Nike forms 30% of Rafael Nadal’s net worth still.
In the 2009 Australian Open, Nadal wore a Bold Crew Men’s Tee and Nadal Long Check Shorts alongside Nike’s Air CourtBallistec 2.3 tennis shoes. All of it was from Nike, as it took care of his every single apparel need for a long time. They even made customizations with the name ‘Rafa’ on his shoe and a bull sign, referencing his tennis nickname ‘Raging Bull’, on his other shoe.
It is clear as day that Nike’s biggest investment has been Rafael Nadal for years. It stacks up amazingly close to his Big Three counterparts – Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. While Djokovic also has a $9.4 million annual contract with Lacoste, his kit supplier. Roger Federer’s deal with Uniqlo, a Yamaguchi-based apparel brand, is the sweetest of them all. In 2018, he signed a mouth-watering $300 million deal with Uniqlo for 10 years. This means he gets $30 million per year from the Japanese brand, which is thrice more than what Nike was paying the Swiss legend.
