Tennis legend Roger Federer has severed ties with Nike for a Japanese sports brand in a 10-year deal thought to be worth $300m (£227m).

As the 36-year-old made his 20th straight Wimbledon appearance, he wore the Uniqlo brand, ending his 20-year association with Nike.

Despite the move, the eight-time Wimbledon champion kept his Nike trainers on for his win over Serbia's Dusan Lajovic on Monday.

The estimated worth of the Uniqlo deal trumps the $10m (£7.6m) he was reportedly making each year with Nike, which still retains rights to the Swiss star's iconic "RF" logo.

Image: Federer suggested he was open to a shoe deal with Nike

The reported boost to Federer's bank account comes after Forbes ranked him as one of the world's wealthiest sports stars, earning an estimated $77m (£58.4m) last year in endorsements and prize money.


According to the magazine, Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball player LeBron James are the only other athletes in his wage bracket.

The tennis player said he was "excited" about wearing the Japanese brand and anticipated that he would soon have his "RF" motif back on his clothes.

"I was excited to wear Uniqlo today. I must tell you, it's been a long time coming," he said. "The RF logo is with Nike, but it will come to me at some point.

"I hope rather sooner than later, that Nike can be nice and helpful in the process to bring it over to me.

"It's also something that was very important for me, for the fans really. They are my initials. They are mine. The good thing is it's not theirs forever."

Addressing the issue of his Nike shoes after the game, he suggested some ties with the US company could still remain.

"I don't have a shoe deal," said Federer. "I'm looking forward to see what shoes I will be wearing in the near future.

"For now, I will be wearing Nike. They have shown interest to have a shoe deal with me as well. Ties are not broken there. I have deep roots with Nike.

"I've had a great relationship over the last 20 years. But everything is open."