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Nike ought to by no means have let tennis celebrity Roger Federer go away its secure, in accordance with one of many firm’s former prime brass.
The Swiss maestro was signed by the famend sportswear firm as a 13-year-old and remained on the books for twenty-four years.
However in 2018 he was lured away by a mouthwatering supply from Uniqlo, the Japanese firm tabling a 10-year deal price $300 million.
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Mike Nakajima – who was Nike’s tennis director earlier than leaving the corporate in 2017 – says he would not have let Federer go away if he was nonetheless there.
“That ought to by no means have occurred. For us to let any person like that go, it is an atrocity,” Nakajima is quoted in a e book titled, The Roger Federer Impact.
“Roger Federer belonged with Nike for the remainder of his profession. Similar to Michael Jordan. Like LeBron James, like Tiger Woods.
“He is proper up there with the all-time best Nike athletes ever. I am nonetheless disillusioned.
“However it occurred. I’ve to recover from it. It wasn’t my choice and I wasn’t there for it.”
Nike did not match the monster $30m-a-year off from Uniqlo and so, reluctantly, watched Federer stroll out the door.
However Nakajima believes Nike may have stored the Federer cash practice working for a few years after the star’s retirement from tennis, which got here final yr.
“Roger goes to be wonderful. So I am joyful for him. I most likely would have performed the identical factor if I had been in the identical boat,” Nakajima stated.
“Who may need turned down a $30 million-a-year contract? However it ought to have by no means gotten to that time.
“Nike remains to be promoting thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of pairs of Jordans (footwear). When’s the final time Michael (Jordan) performed? It has been many, a few years.
“They might have performed the identical factor for Roger. For years to return, they might have created footwear with an RF brand.”
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