Roger Federer Made A Fortune Playing Tennis. But He Became A Billionaire In Retirement Thanks To A 3% Stake In A Little-Known Swiss Shoe Company

Roger Federer made an absolute fortune playing tennis.

Over a 24-year career, he won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, spent 310 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world, and collected nearly $131 million in prize money. That's the third-highest career earnings total in men's tennis history, behind only Rafael Nadal ($134 million) and Novak Djokovic ($194 million).

But as you probably know, Federer earned vastly more money away from the court.

Roger's endorsement portfolio during his playing career was a murderer's row of the world's most recognizable brands:

• Nike
• Wilson
• Credit Suisse
• Gillette
• Mercedes-Benz
• Lindt
• Moët & Chandon
• Rolex

At his peak, Roger was making $45 million per year from 10 different sponsors.

All told, Federer earned roughly $1 billion from endorsements, appearances, and other business ventures during his playing career. Add in the $131 million he won on the court, and he had generated well over $1.1 billion in gross career earnings by the time he retired.

And yet, Roger Federer did not actually become a billionaire until several years after he stopped playing professionally.

The investment that finally pushed him into the three-comma club was not a tournament victory or another conventional endorsement contract. It was a brilliant equity bet on a relatively young, little-known Swiss shoe company called… On.

Christopher Lee/Getty Images

Leaving Nike

For most of his career, Roger Federer was practically inseparable from Nike.

He began wearing the company's apparel and shoes as a junior and remained one of its most recognizable athletes for roughly two decades. Over the course of the partnership, Nike is estimated to have paid Federer $150 million, including more than $10 million per year during the later stages of his career.

Then, in 2018, the relationship came to an end.

Federer was approaching his 37th birthday and clearly much closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Ordinarily, that would have weakened his negotiating position. Instead, Japanese apparel company Uniqlo offered him an extraordinary deal worth $300 million over 10 years.

The contract was remarkable for several reasons.

First, it paid Federer an average of $30 million per year—roughly double what Nike had paid him over its entire two-decade relationship.

Second, the money was guaranteed even if Federer retired before the contract expired. Federer ultimately played his final professional match in 2022, just four years into the agreement. Uniqlo's payments, however, were structured to continue well into his retirement.

Most importantly, the Uniqlo deal covered Federer's clothing but not his shoes. Uniqlo did not manufacture tennis footwear, leaving Federer free to sign a separate shoe agreement.

Instead of simply taking another large endorsement check, Federer made a much more ambitious decision.

"On"-ward Toward Billionaire Status

Federer's introduction to On came through his wife, Mirka, who had started wearing the company's distinctive running shoes.

Founded in Zurich in 2010, On was still a relatively young brand when Federer became interested. It had developed a loyal following among runners, but it was nowhere close to the size of Nike, Adidas, or the other global footwear giants.

Federer reached out to On's founders and began discussing a partnership. But instead of signing a conventional endorsement agreement that would pay him a fixed annual fee, he made a much more consequential decision.

In 2019, Federer invested in On and acquired an equity stake in the company.

He also became directly involved in product development, helping the brand create an on-court tennis shoe and a lifestyle collection. The partnership produced "The Roger," a line of tennis-inspired sneakers that attached Federer's name and reputation to the growing company.

Two years later, On went public on the New York Stock Exchange.

Federer's exact ownership stake has never been officially disclosed, but it has been estimated at 3%.

At On's current market capitalization of roughly $12.4 billion, a 3% stake would be worth $372 million.

That is nearly three times the $131 million Federer earned in prize money during his entire professional tennis career.

And his stake has been worth even more. In May 2025, On's market capitalization briefly approached $20 billion. At that valuation, Federer's estimated 3% stake would have been worth $600 million.

Other Investments

Federer has also made investments outside tennis and footwear.

In 2013, Federer and his longtime agent, Tony Godsick, co-founded Team8, a sports management company designed in part to give Federer more control over his endorsement relationships and commercial future.

Team8 later helped create the Laver Cup, an annual men's team competition that pits six European players against six players representing the rest of the world.

The tournament launched in 2017 and quickly attracted major stars, sponsors, and premium ticket buyers. It eventually became an officially sanctioned ATP Tour event.

Federer owns an interest in the Laver Cup, allowing him to continue profiting from professional tennis without playing, coaching, or managing a tournament schedule.

In 2021, he participated in a $235 million funding round for NotCo, a Chilean food technology company that uses artificial intelligence to create plant-based products. The fundraising round valued the company at $1.5 billion.

Other investors included Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and musician Questlove.

The size and current value of Federer's stake have not been disclosed. But the investment reflected the same strategy that made his On deal so lucrative: converting endorsement income into ownership of businesses with the potential to grow.

Billionaire Status

Federer played his final professional match in September 2022. According to CelebrityNetWorth's tracking, on the day he retired, his fortune stood at $550 million. Today, almost exactly four years later, Roger Federer's net worth now stands at $1 billion. By our count, he joins a club of billionaire athletes that includes:

Lionel Messi net worth – $1 billion

Cristiano Ronaldo net worth – $1.2 billion

Tiger Woods net worth – $1.3 billion

Magic Johnson net worth – $1.6 billion

Ion Tiriac net worth – $2.4 billion

Michael Jordan net worth – $3.6 billion

Like most celebrity billionaires and athlete billionaires, Roger Federer did not earn his three-comma fortune from salaries or endorsements. Ownership made him a billionaire.