Roger Federer's agent reveals how a simple breakfast with Anna Wintour in New York orchestrated Swiss' tennis-breaking switch from Nike to UNIQLO

Roger Federer's longtime agent Tony Godsick recently recalled how Anna Wintour played an instrumental role in the legendary Swiss leaving Nike to become an UNIQLO-sponsored athlete in 2018. According to Godsick, it was Wintour who helped him get in touch with Tadashi Yanai, the CEO of the Japanese apparel giant.

The Swiss' contract with Nike came to an end in March 2018. While the American sportswear juggernaut proposed an offer to extend the contract, the former No. 1's camp found it unsatisfactory for a couple of reasons. For starters, it was nowhere near as lucrative as the previous contract, and it didn't offer the Swiss the creative control and financial freedom he was seeking at the time.

Ultimately, the 20-time Major champion's dissatisfaction with Nike proved telling, as he signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with UNIQLO in July 2018. Recently, Roger Federer's agent Tony Godsick, during an appearance on the Served With Andy Roddick podcast, remembered how former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour orchestrated the Swiss' switch to UNIQLO. Godsick said:

"And remember Novak (Djokovic) had been with Uniqlo. So they were already in tennis. And I couldn't get to Mr. Yanai and Anna Wintour, who I owe a tremendous amount, besides being one of my favorite people in the world. She was actually, I remember having breakfast with her at the Mark Hotel in New York City in her table, table 21 in the far right corner. And I said, I need a favor. Do you know Mr. Yanai?" (from 50:19)

"That should never have happened" - Nike's former tennis director's honest admission on letting Roger Federer leave

Roger Federer at the 2025 Laver Cup (Source: Getty)

Mike Nakajima, Nike's former tennis director, explained in the 2018 book, The Roger Federer Effect authored by Simon Cambers and Simon Graf, that the American sportswear juggernaut's decision to let the Swiss leave was an "atrocity". Nakajima also opined that Nike should have treated the former No. 1 like it did other legendary athletes such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Tiger Woods.

"That should never have happened. For us to let somebody like that go, it’s an atrocity. Roger Federer belonged with Nike for the rest of his career. Just like Michael Jordan. Like LeBron James, like Tiger Woods. He’s right up there with the all-time greatest Nike athletes ever. I’m still disappointed. But it happened. I have to get over it. It wasn’t my decision and I wasn’t there for it," Nakajima said.

The Swiss retired from his tennis-playing career at the 2022 Laver Cup. However, his collaboration with UNIQLO is still going strong.