Roger Federer’s “Team 8″ / His New Management Co.

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 13th December 2013

Federer promotes ABN AMRO Tennis Tournament

Roger Federer's "Team 8" / His New Management Co.

epa03579183 Swiss tennis player Roger Federer (R) during a promotion event of the ABN AMRO Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 11 February 2013. The tournament will take place from 11 until 17 February. EPA/KOEN SUYK |

Roger Federer may be insistent there are many more matches, extra trophies and perhaps another Grand Slam title or two left in his playing career. However the Swiss is most certainly looking at a more long term future as news comes that he is forming a new management company, Team8, with his much trusted agent Tony Godsick and some top level financial backing from the United States.

Recruitment for Team8 has been going on for a couple of weeks. As reported in Daily Tennis News former ATP World Tour Chief Player Officer Andre Silva resigned to join Godsick and world no.5 Juan Martin Del Potro also allied himself to the concern. Now 23rd ranked and much vaunted Grigor Dimitrov, the 22-year-old Bulgarian, has also been signed up to join the stable from January 1.

As the New York Times commented, that would give the new agency a strong foothold in both the present and the future of tennis and would be a symbolic move for the 23rd-ranked Dimitrov, a player who was once nicknamed Baby Fed and whose flowing, all-court game and one-handed backhand have long elicited stylistic comparisons with Federer.

It is reported the backing comes from hedge-fund genius Ian McKinnon, the 46 year-old Managing Director at ZBI Equities and the billionaire financier Dirk Ziff, the eldest of the three brothers who started Ziff Brothers Investments in 1992 after their father, William, sold his publishing interests.

Godsick, who rose through the managerial ranks of IMG during an 18 year stay with the company that came to an end when his contract expired around the time of the French Open last year, confirmed the business plan when he said: “I think small is the new big. We’re trying to be a boutique agency that will manage just a small stable of iconic athletes.”

He added there was no intention to rival IMG, Lagardere Unlimited, Octagon or any other larger management company. “We’re really going to try to be selective here. Some of the other groups, they look to sign as many players as they can and hope a few of them stick and make it, and they really go after the juniors. We’re not going to.”

However it is understood Team8’s expansion could soon see the company acquiring or creating events as well as signing up both leading names from other sports such as golf and show business entertainers.

Roger has a thing about the number 8. He was born on the 8th Day of the 8th month, etc.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Andre Silva, Atp, Grand Slam, GRIGOR DIMITROV, Juan Martin Del Potro, Roger Federer, Team8, Tennis, Tennis News, Tony Godsick