For many years Roger Federer was the most revered tennis player, but his star power continues to extend far beyond tennis as he celebrates his 42nd birthday.
Federer retired from professional tennis in 2022, playing for one last time at the Laver Cup in London, in a doubles match alongside his rival and friend Rafael Nadal in an emotionally intoxicating swansong, that celebrated the near three-decade of elegance and records. He won 103 career ATP titles, of which 20 were at Grand Slam level.
Federer turns 42 today and still remains the household name in all of tennis. In fact, his unparalleled charisma and brand extend beyond the tennis world. It's been almost a year since he hung up his racket, but Federer has never been so committed to a venture than what he has at his disposal.
Endorsement deals and off-court work keeps him on the move. In the past year, he earned $95 million, earning his place as the only retired sportsperson in Forbes' list of top-10 of highest-paid athletes. Remarkably, he only played one tennis match.
Having ruled out the possibility of coaching or undertaking media duties as initially reported, Federer has spent the last 10 months on the business side of things: fostering his brand and honoring his multimillion-dollar deal with Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo.
Just a week ago, Federer launched his first sports-inspired fashion collection in New York, which he designed with the help of famous Irish fashion designer Jonathan Anderson. He's also been part of a new video series titled 24 Hours with Roger in partnership with Uniqlo in which he tours around his favorite cities.
Federer has also been to Wimbledon this past month - the scene of his most successful Grand Slam tournament where he won a record eight championships - and was an invited guest at the Royal Box where he watched Elena Rybakina and Andy Murray firsthand.
Federer has also been passionate about helping young children in Africa get access to better education. Through his Foundation, he has carried out philanthropic work for the past 20 years in southern states in the African continent with over 2.4 million benefitting from the program as of 2022.
As he blows the candles for the 42nd time today, Federer holds no regrets about how everything panned out in the end as the knee became an obstacle in his long-awaited return to tennis. Instead, he was happy that the ending was something that only happens in fairytales.
He shared the stage with his biggest rivals - Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic side by side, and his family and friends were all present during his Laver Cup doubles match.
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