By Raul Torres Salmerón
The farewell of the best tennis player in the world, the Swiss Roger Federer after 24 years as a professional, was emotional and philosophical.
Tears were the protagonists of Federer’s farewell. His last game was played against Rafael Nadal. There were tears everywhere. Men cry too.
His Twitter posts that day are exciting – I’ve done it thousands of times, but this one is different. It was a wonderful day. I am happy, not sad. I enjoyed putting on my slippers for the last time. I’ve had my friends here, my family, colleagues …
His admirers and followers were waiting on the last day with regret and much pride. The last Tweet was of a profound philosophy and an example to follow:
We expected a fairytale ending. Here’s how mine went:
I lost my last singles match.
I lost my last doubles match.
I lost my last team event.
I lost my voice during the week.
I lost my job.
However, my retreat could not have been more perfect and I am very happy with how everything went. So don’t think too much about that perfect ending, yours will always be awesome in your own way …
A thoughtful and magnificent message, but it sure is all offset by Roger Federer’s 10 multi-million dollar sponsorships:
-With Nike things did not end well but then a new brand arrived with which they closed a historic agreement. Japanese clothing designer Uniqlo signed him a 10-year sponsorship. He receives $ 30 million a year.
-Rolex has always been one of the brands that followed Federer throughout his career. The famous brand pays him $ 8 million a year, with no expiration date.
-Famous champagne company Moet & Chandon named him its brand ambassador in 2012. The sponsorship was $ 6 million and a gift of watches.
-He is also the ambassador of the Net Jets airline and earns $ 6 million annually.
-The Italian pasta factory Barilla closed another agreement with the Swiss in 2017 for $ 8 million and ends in 2022.
-The Mercedes-Benz car company has an agreement from 2017 to 2027. With this brand it receives 5 million dollars a year and a new car every six months.
-The Lindt chocolate brand has a 13-year agreement, from 2009 to 2022, and receives $ 4 million annually.
-Another Swiss brand, Credit Suisse, signed another ten-year agreement in 2009. It was the smallest with $ 2 million a year.
-In tennis, the Wilson company equips him for sport, even though he only earns $ 350,000 a year.
-The Sunrise communications company gives you $ 7 million a year.
In short, as Sylvia Plath (United States, 1932-1963) wrote in her poem of April 18:
A future was lost yesterday
so simply and irrevocably
like a tennis ball at sunset.
