Uniqlo RF Collection expands return of Roger Federer logo

WATCH: Off court for 12 months, Federer has increased his training with hopes to return in 2022.

Roger Federer’s 2018 departure from longtime apparel brand Nike felt like the end of an era, both from a sartorial and branding perspective as it was under Nike that the 20-time Grand Slam champion developed his signature RF logo.

Fear not, Fed fans: new sponsor Uniqlo continues its RF rollout with an eponymous apparel collection that marks the logo’s return on apparel for the first time in four years—having previously released RF hats in 2020.

Whether it’s Rafael Nadal’s charging bull or Jannik Sinner’s sly fox, logos have become a way for tennis players to brand their game and personality for fans.

Federer discussed the evolution of RF in a video Uniqlo posted to YouTube on Thursday, tracing the origins to a conversation with wife Mirka.

“We thought that we needed a logo and at the time, initials were not that popular quite yet,” he explained. “It was more symbols. The one we created way back when was very similar to this one. It also had the floating “R” with the floating “F,” and it’s very light. I think it’s very elegant.”

The RF Collection will feature black and white t-shirts emblazoned with Federer’s logo, with the Swiss Maestro modeling the casual looks in the video and thinking of it as a love letter to his fans.

“As we in tennis don’t have a number or the name on the back, it was a way for me to connect to the fans and really feel that sense of community. It means so much to me. I wear it with a lot of pride. I am so happy that it is here, that it’s alive, that it’s going to hopefully make a lot of people happy because it certainly makes me extremely happy.”

Federer has been off court since the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, where he bowed out to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals, but has left the door open for a return to action later this fall.