Emma Raducanu has signed her biggest sponsorship deals in years, becoming Uniqlo’s latest ambassador. The British No. 1 had previously been signed with Nike, but has followed Roger Federer in ditching the ‘Swoosh’ for Uniqlo – the second major apparel deal of her young career.
Raducanu had been a Nike athlete throughout her professional career, and lifted the 2021 US Open trophy in a red-and-navy kit provided by the brand. But she has now become the first women’s singles tennis player on Uniqlo’s roster. Federer previously switched to Uniqlo in 2018 when his long-standing deal with Nike expired, and remains an ambassador for the Japanese fashion brand to this day.
Kei Nishikori, and wheelchair tennis stars Gordon Reid and Shingo Kunieda are also Uniqlo global brand ambassadors. And Raducanu has now joined the pack. Uniqlo initially teased the deal with an Instagram post on Monday, showing the torso of a tennis player dressed in a blue dress with a matching blue wristband, adorned with Uniqlo’s famous red square logo. “We’re proud to welcome a new face to UNIQLO,” they wrote.
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
The world No. 25’s new ambassadorship with Uniqlo was announced on Tuesday in a Tokyo press conference, and she will debut her first look with the brand at Indian Wells next week. Express Sport understands that Raducanu will have an active say in the design of her on-court kits.
The British No. 1 will also participate in activations and community engagement – something Federer has already done during his time with Uniqlo.
Federer became a Uniqlo athlete in 2018, months after his long-term deal with Nike expired. During an appearance on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast, the Swiss star’s agent, Tony Godsick, explained that he was unable to get Federer a new Nike deal, so he reached out to Uniqlo, with the help of Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
Godsick flew to Japan for a meeting, where he bagged a deal. “We didn’t have a press release; our press release was him walking out on Centre Court at Wimbledon,” Godsick said of Federer’s move to Uniqlo.