Why Jannik Sinner’s Fox Logo Lacks Roger Federer’s ‘RF’ Branding Power

After a three-month suspension, Jannik Sinner returns to tennis next week and will be the No. 1 seed at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. Despite the drug ban, Sinner maintains his No. 1 ranking and popularity. However, tennis fans don’t seem to have a connection to his personal brand. His logo, the Fox, misses the mark. Few fans can identify it.

Nearly three years after Sinner introduced his logo and six months after a reboot, the Fox hasn’t gained traction like Roger Federer’s” RF or Nadal’s Bull.

Sinner’s Fox joins the growing glut of player logos. Once an honor bestowed upon GOATS, everyone from mediocre professional athletes to high school ballers has a player logo these days. Creating a logo is easy. Getting fans to embrace an athlete’s logo is more difficult, even for a global superstar like Sinner.

“There will be many tennis logos created, and not many will break through,” said Laura Ries, brand strategist and co-author of “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding,” in an interview with me. “Even greatness doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll become a great, iconic brand, because all of the stars have to align in terms of dominance on the court, a certain personality that people are interested in.”

Rick Burton, David B. Falk Endowed Professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University, said the rise in player logos is a byproduct of Name, Image and Likeness money and the pressure athletes feel to brand themselves. With Artificial Intelligence and WYSIWYG graphic design apps, Burton said even high school athletes can create logos instantly. However, Burton cautions that the market value of an athlete’s logo is only as good as its recognition.

“The Jordan Brand, or Air Jordan logo, is maybe a perfect example of what you can have, and that becomes instantly identifiable,” said Burton. “But there are not very many athletes who come to a point where they transcend the game. So I can be an elite athlete. I create a logo for myself, but my only distribution of the logo may be on my own platform.”

Tennis is ripe for individual logos, Burton said, “because the players get so much face time on camera.”

History Of Player Logos In Tennis

French tennis star René Lacoste first wore a crocodile insignia in 1929. Lacoste, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, launched his clothing line in 1933 after he retired. That logo survived long after Lacoste died in 1966.

Italian tennis player Sergio Tacchini never advanced beyond the third round at any Major. However, Tacchini made a name for himself as a clothing designer, and the logo for his tennis brand — a “T” within a circle — was trendy in the 1970s and early 1980s. Superstars Martina Navratilova, Ilie Nastase, Jimmy Connors, Mats Wilander, John McEnroe, and Pete Sampras wore Sergio Tacchini.

The company Sergio Tacchini went into bankruptcy in 2007. When Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2011, he wore Sergio Tacchini, which sold to investors. Djokovic and Tacchini parted ways in 2012 when the brand failed to keep up with the Serbian star’s soaring success. South Korean business group F&F Holdings purchased the brand in 2022.

Djokovic unveiled his logo in 2012. His initials are incorporated into the design. Andy Murray’s logo features his initials and the No. 77, signifying his 2013 Wimbledon win, the first by a British player in 77 years. Djokovic and Murray’s logos are recognizable by hardcore fans, but neither design transcends tennis like Federer’s RF and Nadal’s Bull.

Federer’s “RF”: The GOAT Of Player Logos In Tennis

Federer and Nike created the blueprint for player logo branding in tennis. The famed RF began as a monogram that Federer’s wife Mirka designed for a fragrance launch in 2003. Fans saw the monogram version in 2006 when Federer strolled onto Centre Court grass at Wimbledon wearing a gold RF on a cream-colored jacket. By 2009, the year Federer won a record 15 Grand Slam titles, Nike simplified the calligraphy-like monogram and trademarked the RF logo.

Nike “evolved the concept and made it more relevant to performance products, very modern and very sleek,” said Janet Lucena, the design director for Nike global tennis apparel at the time, in an interview with the New York Times in 2009.

The logo became a fan favorite. Although Ries thinks initials don’t always make the best logos, the RF monogram works because the letters’ typography, simplicity, and elegance resonate with Federer’s established persona, the Maestro.

“It goes well with his elegance and gentlemanliness. It’s classic, Amadeus,” Ries said. “Simplicity and elegance were already his, those are the main characteristics you associate with him.”

When Federer left Nike in 2018 to sign a $300 million, 10-year contract with Uniglo, there was a fight for the logo. Federer eventually gained rights to the RF. Now Federer’s monogram goes where he does and is on On’s Roger Federer footwear. Federer’s logo is the standard for building a brand beyond trendy to legacy.

What Makes Jannik Sinner’s Fox An Ineffective Logo?

When Sinner introduced his Fox logo, it came with a diagram explaining the meaning behind the design. The Fox, represents intelligence, agility, and connection to Sinner’s South Tyrol, Italy roots, a mountainous region. If you look sideways, you can see the logo includes Sinner’s initials, J and S.

However, more tennis fans associate Sinner with the Carota Boys than a fox. The Carota Boys are Sinner fans who dress in carrot suits and turn up at tournaments. The name is inspired by Sinner’s “carrot top” red hair. The Carota Boys have their own website, Instagram page, merchandise, and published book. The organic rise of the Carota Boys elicits the emotional engagement essential to creating what Ries calls “a visual hammer.”

The best logos are visual hammers, according to Ries. You recognize them immediately. Initials and vague concepts known only to an athlete and his parents are reasons some athlete logos go wrong. However, visual hammers nail it. Like the Nike swoosh, the Air Jordan silhouette, and the Nadal Bull, there is no need to explain it.

“He’s trying to force something that is not coming naturally, and that is a huge challenge, as opposed to taking something that is real and authentic and symbolizing it, representing it, and making it larger than yourself,” said Ries. “It’s the difference between advertising and PR. What you say about yourself is just not believable. It’s the third party endorsement. It’s what other people are saying about you.”

Instead of leaning into a fan-inspired nickname, Sinner and Nike did a reset on the Fox during the 2024 ATP Final in Turin, Italy. Sinner released limited edition merchandise and posted a diagram explaining the aspects of the logo on his Instagram account.
Needing a diagram to explain a logo, speaks to the brand’s lack of emotional connection.

“It’s just a geometric shape that doesn’t even look like a fox,” said Ries. “It certainly doesn’t even look like his initials. You know, long term, if he becomes one of the greatest ever, that will be associated with him. But it doesn’t have much emotional power, as Nadal and the bull.”

The actual test is whether the logo stands on its own. The Nike swoosh, Nadal’s Bull, and Federer’s monogram are recognizable without words. However, even with an infographic, Jannik Sinner’s Fox falls flat.