Former director of a big sports brand reveals why they picked Roger Federer over Djokovic

According to former Nike tennis director Mike Nakajima, Roger Federer was well-positioned to establish himself as a major brand, while Nike gave Serbian-born Novak Djokovic some thought when deciding whether or not to sign the player. Federer secured an endorsement contract with Nike when he was just 14 years old after being noticed by the well-known sportswear company. When Federer announced his departure from Nike and 10-year contract with UNIQLO in 2018, it was shocking news.

Over the years, Nike has also supported Rafael Nadal, who with Roger Federer forged one of the greatest rivalries in sports history. However, Djokovic—a 22-time Grand Slam victor—never came in the proximity of Nike.

Nakajima on why Nike picked Federer over Djokovic

“Nothing against Novak — he’s a great player, speaks well, and can become the greatest player of all time. But from a marketing point of view, we felt that Serbia wasn’t a big market for us so we took that into consideration. Switzerland wasn’t all that big either, but when [Federer] became 'The Roger Federer,' he became a global athlete and that’s good enough for us. Nike thought Roger was a very promising young athlete, and we could see that the game was moving in Europe," Nakajima told Talking-Tennis. When it comes to Nadal, Nakajima suggested Spain was already a big market for Nike and their target was to have Federer and the Spaniard as the faces of their brand in the tennis world.

“Spain is a huge market for Nike, and Rafa has a huge following, so Roger and Rafa are the athletes we decided to hang our hats with, and you have to stick to your guns. When they are 16, or 17, 18 everyone knows about them, certainly our competitors do, so we focus on 11, 12, 13, and 14-year-olds," Nakajima added.

According to reports, Federer left in Nike in 2018 because UNIQLO jumped in with a much better financial offer.

In 2022, Roger Federer gave an emotional goodbye to the sport of Tennis. The Swiss retired after winning 20 Grand Slams. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who are both active on the circuit are the only two players who have won slams than Federer. Both are tied at 22 Grand Slams.