Roger Federer Got Really Playing Tennis. A Little-known Swiss Shoe Company Could Make Him A Billionaire | Celebrity Net Worth 2026

Biography & Early Wealth Journey

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.

Primary Income Streams & Multi-Million Contracts

That money gave him something arguably even more valuable: the capital and negotiating power to stop merely accepting endorsement checks and start buying ownership.

And one investment in particular could eventually be the asset that pushes Roger Federer into billionaire territory. In 2019, Federer invested in 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.

Wealth Trajectory & Future Earnings Projections

The contract paid Federer an average of $30 million per year, roughly double what Nike had been paying him annually. Even more remarkably, the money was guaranteed regardless of how long Federer continued playing. He ultimately played his final professional match in 2022, just four years into the agreement, but Uniqlo's payments 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 strike a separate shoe deal.

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

A $50 Million Bet On On

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 in 2019, rather than signing a conventional endorsement contract, he invested an estimated $50 million of his own money in the company.

Federer's exact ownership percentage has never been formally disclosed. Based on estimates of the value of his holdings, his stake appears to amount to roughly 2.7% of the company.

He also became directly involved in product development, helping On 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, image, and reputation to the rapidly growing company.

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

At the company's current market capitalization of roughly $10 billion, Federer's 2.7% interest in On would be worth $273 million.

As a reminder, Federer earned $131 million in prize money over 24 years of professional tennis. A single investment he made near the end of his playing career is now worth more than twice that amount.

And at one point, it was worth substantially more.

In May 2025, On's market capitalization briefly approached $20 billion. At that valuation, a 2.7% stake would have been worth somewhere around $545 million.

Equity Instead Of Another Check

The genius of the On deal wasn't simply that Federer happened to pick a stock that went up.

Federer was in a uniquely powerful position to influence the value of the asset he was buying.

He brought On instant credibility with tennis fans, luxury consumers, retailers and athletes around the world. His involvement also coincided with the company's push beyond running shoes into tennis footwear, apparel and lifestyle products.

The partnership helped demonstrate a fundamentally different approach to athlete endorsements. Instead of accepting a guaranteed annual check from an established company, Federer put tens of millions of dollars at risk in exchange for ownership of a much smaller business.

If On had failed, Federer could have lost a significant amount of money.

Instead, the company became one of the fastest-growing challengers to Nike and Adidas in premium athletic footwear. Federer wasn't merely compensated for helping promote that growth. He owned a piece of it.

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 participating financially in professional tennis without competing on the court.

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 NotCo stake have not been disclosed. But the investment reflected the same philosophy that made his On deal so lucrative: using the enormous income generated by his athletic career and endorsement power to acquire ownership in businesses with the potential to become significantly more valuable.

Could On Make Roger Federer A Billionaire?

Here's some very rough napkin math.

We estimate that Roger Federer is worth $850 million today. If his On stake is currently worth around $273 million, that would imply the rest of his fortune – cash, investments, real estate, Team8, Laver Cup interests and everything else – is worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $550 million to $575 million.

Now imagine On gets back to the nearly $20 billion market capitalization it reached in May 2025.

At that valuation, Federer's estimated 2.7% stake would be worth around $545 million. Add that to roughly $550 million in other assets, and suddenly you're looking at a theoretical net worth of around $1.1 billion.

And what if On keeps growing?

At a $30 billion market cap, Federer's 2.7% stake would be worth roughly $810 million. Combined with $550 million or so in other wealth, that would put him somewhere around $1.35 billion.

Obviously, this is napkin math, but the basic point is pretty remarkable. Federer doesn't necessarily need another enormous endorsement deal or some entirely new business venture to reach billionaire status. He may already own the asset that gets him there.

His tennis career made him rich. His endorsement deals made him extremely rich. And a $50 million investment in a little-known Swiss shoe company could ultimately make him a billionaire.