The GOAT debate has intensified in recent times when it comes to Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. With every individual having their own set of parameters to justify their answer, one of them is the impact that they had on the game and psyche of tennis lovers. That impact is heavily influenced by the marketability of athletes in their respective sports. In that sense, Federer seems to have a massive edge over Nadal and Djokovic. And a marketing expert has now revealed why that is the case.
According to the marketing expert, Federer has not only been very particular about his tennis but also about his image and marketability throughout his career. This means not just being at the top of the tennis world as a player but being a gentleman at all times, taking care of his appearance, paying attention to what he wears.
Roger Federer benefits from his charisma and effortlessness: Expert
Roger Federer is the first player to earn more than a billion dollars solely from playing tennis. This involves adding his prize money earnings as well as his fees from brand endorsements over the years. Federer has earned $130.59 million in prize money while the rest of his 900+ million US dollars have come off the court.
In 2017, when Nadal was the World No.1 and Federer was having a brief career renaissance, an Italian marketing expert named Andres Ortega shed light on comparing the Swiss maestro with the rest when it comes to being a richer player. Ortega opined that Federer was everything people liked to see and actually wanted to become, having a connect across all age groups and demographics. Perhaps, no one before captivated audiences with his success coupled with his effortless, graceful style of play yet humility to show off the court.
On the other hand, the personalities and playing styles of Nadal and Djokovic are perhaps more suited for younger audiences. And when their presentation skills in public, looks and acting skills in commercials are compared to Federer, they may come up short as per one school of thought. Ortega was quoted as saying in an interview with Capital as reported by Tennis World –
“Despite Nadal was the number one (this year), as a fan I see Federer as his father. It looks like that before heading into the court he is adjusting his hair to look beautiful. Federer is more classy. I do not believe you have seen Federer going to play with pink shorts, like Nadal.
“Federer took care more about keeping his image as a “gentleman”, especially in little details that, for example, Nadal does not get interested to when he lifts the trophies. Nadal’s gamestyle is younger, more physical, so it suits more to younger people.
“Federer is the extreme of the perfect tennis player, who dominates all the shots, that does not sweat and does everything. Nadal is perfect for strength and resilience.
“Many other tennis players win matches as well, like Djokovic or del Potro, but the difference is in other things. When you go buying a car, you take decisions depending on objective things but also subjective ones. That’s where Federer rules. In him, you have much more than wins. He has all the things to suit to people, with very clear values that makes him see as the person who we would all like to have as a colleague.”
How do Nadal and Djokovic compare to Federer?
Rafael Nadal has earned $134.64 million in prize money while Novak Djokovic has the highest amount earned by any player of all-time, as he stands currently at $171.25 million. Yet, both their net earnings are almost half of that of Federer’s.
As per Forbes, Rafael Nadal’s overall earnings are easily in the range of $500-550 million if taxes and other reductions are considered as well. On the other hand, Novak Djokovic too is very close to Rafael Nadal as his gross earnings is approximately between $510-515 million after his Wimbledon 2023 final appearance.
But amongst the ‘Big Three’, Roger Federer seems to have the biggest business mind, which also helps. He pulled off two business masterstrokes towards the end of his career. Firstly, he ensured that the deal he signed with Uniqlo is 3 times the amount Nike paid him, which will last till 2028 surely. It means that Federer would earn $300 million excluding royalties and bonuses by the end of the contract. Secondly, he signed an equity deal with the brand ‘On’, which specializes in running shoes, owning 3% of the company and also being its brand ambassador, fetching Federer another $300 million.
Some of the other brands he endorses are Rolex, Lindt, Credit Suisse, Barilla, Mercedes-Benz, Moet & Chandon and Switzerland Tourism amongst others.
