Nike picked Roger Federer over Novak Djokovic “from a marketing point of view”, says company's former director
Nike's decision to pick Roger Federer and pass on Novak Djokovic was purely a marketing one, according to Mike Nakajima, the company's former long-term tennis director.
Federer was signed by Nike in 1994 and he sported the company's famous swoosh during all 20 of his Grand Slam triumphs. The Swiss' most recent deal with the American sportswear and apparel giant saw him earn a reported $12 million a year.
Federer's deal with Nike expired in 2018 and he moved on to Uniqlo thereafter. The 41-year-old became the Japanese company's brand ambassador in a deal that's said to be worth $30 million a year.
In comparison, Djokovic has had a plethora of different brand associations over the years. He has been with Adidas, Head, Uniqlo and Lacoste so far.
Explaining why Djokovic, the ATP World No. 1, was never considered by Nike, Nakajima told Talking Tennis:
“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.”
Nike have a well-established market in Spain, making it an easy decision for them to add Nadal to their portfolio. Nakajima added:
“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.”
Touching on the importance of building relationships when players are young, Nakajima said:
“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.”
Nike's decision to part ways with Roger Federer termed an "atrocity" by company's former director
Nike continues to sponsor some of the biggest athletes in the world, while Roger Federer has moved on to a more lucrative deal with Japanese brand Uniqlo. But Mike Nakajima still regrets the company's decision to part ways with the Swiss maestro.
Shedding light on Federer's long-term association with Nike and its unfortunate ending, Nakajima said:
“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.”