Roger Federer may have seen his dreams of Olympic gold dashed this week, but he can celebrate that t-shirts, racquets, and shoes from his trophy-laden tennis career proved a treasure trove at auction.
The sports legend saw every single item that went under the hammer at a two-phased Christie's auction sold, raking in £3.4 million ($4.7m).
The combined proceeds from an online and a live auction - over three times more than the target - will go to the Roger Federer Foundation, which supports educational projects in southern Africa and his native Switzerland.
"I am overwhelmed by the generosity and enthusiasm of the support from around the world," Federer said in a statement.
The auction of items the 20-time Grand Slam winner's career happened in two phases.
A live sale on June 23 in London focused on Federer's career at the four Grand Slams: Wimbledon and the Australian, French and US Opens.
The subsequent online sale from June 23 to July 14 featured 300 lots from other tournaments spanning 21 years - dating back to his first Olympics appearance at the Sydney 2000 Games, aged just 19.
The items sold online found buyers from 44 countries and across six continents, Christie's said.
The highlight of the online sale was a set of three rackets used at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, which sold for £162,500 - more than 23 times above estimate.
"The prices achieved have been unbelievable," Federer said.
"We started collecting items which accompanied me on court because we thought that perhaps one day we could do something meaningful with them," he said.
He said he and his wife Mirka were "humbled to see that the decision we made will make a profound difference to so many children."
The Roger Federer collection was the most important single-owner lot of sporting memorabilia ever to come to market, a Christie's representative said.
Federer, who turns 40 on August 8, had been hoping to secure his first Olympic singles gold medal at the upcoming Tokyo Games, but announced Tuesday he had withdrawn after a "setback" in his recovery from a knee injury.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
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Rating: 4/5
SPECS
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Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
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Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
