Swiss icon Roger Federer is undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players of all time. A popular figure worldwide, Federer’s influence transcends the boundaries of a tennis court. He was a masterful player, retiring with 20 Grand Slam titles, the last of which was the Australian Open in 2018. And now, fans have a chance to own a wonderful piece of history.
The Nike outfit that Roger wore in the final will be up for an online auction. Nike sponsored Roger for the better part of his career, and this custom-made outfit is as unique as they come.
The T-shirt bears the custom Federer logo on its sleeve. It comes along with two certificates of authenticity from the Roger Federer Foundation. The package includes the autographed shirt and shorts he wore in Melbourne when he defeated Marin Cilic in the final.
Prestige Memorabilia, which mainly deals in tennis souvenirs, is organizing this auction. Bidding is set to begin at $25,000 and experts believe it can go as high as $35,000. The auction will run from September 20th to October 8th.
Sports memorabilia can generate a lot of money for the auctioneer. Some items can fetch millions of dollars in fact, like the Mickey Mantle baseball card which was sold for $12 million. Diego Maradona’s World Cup jersey, the one he was wearing when he scored the ‘Hand of God’ goal, went for $9.3 million.
Prestige Memorabilia is offering collectors a chance to add this prized possession to their collection. It is, after all, the outfit that Federer wore to win his 20th Grand Slam title, creating history in the process.
Why did Roger Federer switch from Nike to Uniqlo?
Federer used to be one of the most loyal patrons of Nike. The athletic apparel giant and Federer had a partnership for 20 years. Hence when the Swiss ace suddenly switched to Uniqlo, it caused quite a stir.
Uniqlo, a Japanese brand, had sponsored Novak Djokovic too in the past. However, their partnership with Federer was slightly different, as it was not just limited to the tennis courts.
“I had an opportunity to look at what’s out there, and we approached Uniqlo. I thought it would be a wonderful step into new endeavors, an entrepreneurial stage, incorporating philanthropy, innovation, and new regions of the world,” said Federer (via Tennis.com).
Nike had a strict deal with the Swiss ace- he would get paid only if he was playing. It was not the case with Uniqlo, as they wanted Roger as their global ambassador.
Roger is one of the true legends of tennis. He will go down in history as the first man to win 20 major titles in his career. Uniqlo is lucky for nabbing him first.