Roger Federer has invested millions in multiple plant-based businesses over the years. He had invested in Roots Kitchen and NotCo a few years back. In 2021, during the initial investment rounds which Federer also participated in, NotCo raised $235 million. Meanwhile, Roots Kitchen made its way to the headquarters of the Federer-backed On Running. Federer’s employees would be the best marketers for the 100% plant-based kitchen brand if they got a taste of it and remain healthier by having guilt-free delicacies.
The former World No.1 has invested in these companies not just to gain profits but to fulfil his childhood dream. As a child who was born and brought up in Switzerland, Federer loved his chocolates and cheese. Additionally, he was strictly vegetarian in his childhood due to ethical reasons.
In fact, he only started consuming meat after he turned 16 as he went to the Swiss National Tennis Academy at Ecublens to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional tennis player at the time. Roger Federer had no one to follow as such as a role model since no player from Switzerland as such made it big in the sport despite its popularity. So Federer went with the flow and ate meat to develop his body for handling the rigors of the sport and building muscles.
Roger Federer is believed to have incorporated meat more frequently in his diet when his Davis Cup 1998 team captain, Marc Rosset encouraged him to do so. However, even after becoming a champion player, Federer has been seen enjoying consuming things such as pizza, pasta/spaghetti in tomato sauce, rosti, raclette, waffles, coffee, fruits, orange juice etc., which do not involve usage of meat.
But the debate about meat helping in recovery have been disproven by athletes like Novak Djokovic and Lewis Hamilton. They have even advocated not having any dairy products, which means that they are completely plant-based, going one step beyond being vegetarian.
According to the Business Insider, Hamiton realised that his energy levels increased on the race track ever since he became vegan. Like Hamilton, Djokovic encourages a plant-based diet and opened a restaurant providing plant-based organic food in Monte Carlo in 2016.
Hamilton and Djokovic featured in the 2018 Netflix documentary, The Game Changers. While there has been active support for meat products in sports over the years, times have changed as athletes themselves follow and promote plant-based diets. With the world accepting the plant-based diet more largely also due to social media, Federer decided to take a step forward and invest, trying to combine his likings as well as his futuristic plans as much as possible.
In fact, Roger Federer also contributed heavily in making a special line of shoes, which are made out of guilt-free leather substitutes. It helped On Running distinguish itself from other brands in the American market especially, as those synthetic shoes have been a hit amongst those who believe in cruelty-free living and can afford it.
Tennis players who successfully became vegan or vegetarian
Novak Djokovic is arguably the biggest name in this category. But amongst the women, Serena Williams and Venus Williams are plant-based in their diets for different reasons. Like Roger Federer, Serena Williams has invested in multiple vegan businesses since they are well accepted in the United States and other Western countries.
Martina Navratilova is a huge supporter of PETA and has advocated a plant-based diet for a sustainable lifestyle where the environment is the main focus.
Apart from them, the likes of Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz and Australians Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic turned vegan over time and have felt positive results in their being and game overall.