When did Roger Federer make his Tennis debut? Career, age, and more explored as player becomes billionaire

Roger Federer made his first appearance in a professional tennis match on July 7, 1998, at the Swiss Open in Gstaad. He was nearly 17 years old and lost to Lucas Arnold Ker in the first round. This marked the start of his professional career.

Federer later confirmed that he retired in September 2022, playing his final match in London at the Laver Cup. Over the course of his career, he won 20 Grand Slam titles, held the world No. 1 ranking for 310 weeks, and captured 103 tournament victories. The tennis legend is now 44 years old.

As of 2025, his net worth is estimated at $1.1 billion, making him one of the few athletes to reach billionaire status, according to Forbes.

Roger Federer's early pro debut and career highlights?

By the end of 1998, Roger Federer was the top junior player, the year his professional career began.

He played his first pro match in Gstaad in July 1998. He ended up losing in the first round to Lucas Arnold Ker. Later that year, he won his first pro match in Toulouse and also competed in Basel, where he lost to Andre Agassi. Federer ended 1998 ranked 301st in the world.

In 1999, he made his Davis Cup debut and won his match. On his 18th birthday, he claimed his first Challenger title in Segovia and broke into the world's top 100 rankings by September 1999.

In the early 2000s, Federer rose quickly. He reached his first Grand Slam final in 2000 and soon entered the top 50 rankings. He also represented Switzerland at the Olympic Games and played at the Hopman Cup, while securing several ATP titles. His career included numerous victories and top rankings, earning him recognition as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

How Roger Federer became a billionaire?

Federer's professional tennis career spanned nearly 24 years, from 1998 to 2022. During this period, he earned an estimated $130 million in prize money. However, most of his wealth came from long-term partnerships and business ventures. It includes deals with brands such as Rolex, Lindt, Mercedes-Benz, Uniqlo, Credit Suisse (now UBS), Wilson, and others.

In 2018, he left Nike for Uniqlo, signing a 10-year, $300 million deal. The following year, he invested in On Running, a Swiss shoe company, with a 3% equity stake. On is now valued at around $17 billion, making his share worth at least $500 million. Federer also co-founded Team8 in 2013, a sports management firm, and built a strong advisory network to oversee his business deals.

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All these partnerships, endorsements, and investments contributed to Roger Federer's net worth of approximately $1.1 billion by mid-2025. Bloomberg calls him one of the few athletes ever to achieve billionaire status. He is the second tennis player to reach this milestone, after Ion Tiriac.

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