"I was a fish out of water" - Roger Federer fondly revisits 'fun' On commercial with Zendaya, admits Hollywood star outshined him at air tennis
Roger Federer has opened up about the significance of signing Hollywood star Zendaya to On, the Swiss sportswear company in which he has a financial stake. The Swiss also fondly reminisced about shooting a commercial for the brand with the 28-year-old actress.
Since Federer became involved with On, the brand has made major moves in the tennis world, serving as the apparel and footwear sponsor for World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, American star Ben Shelton and rising talent Joao Fonseca.
The Swiss brand further elevated its profile by bringing Zendaya on as a brand ambassador following her performance in the acclaimed tennis-centric movie 'Challengers.'
The 20-time Grand Slam warmly welcomed Zendaya to the On family and even starred in a commercial with a two-time Emmy Award winner. In the advertisement, which incorporated elements from 'Challengers,' the duo faced off in a tense game of air tennis.
During a recent appearance on Complex's YouTube channel, Roger Federer shed light on Zendaya's excitement to partner with On, disclosing that the brand allowed her creative freedom on collaborations and ideas.
"It's a big big partnership for us at On. Also seeing her now, naturally and organically growing into On because she also was wearing On shoes from time to time. When we reached out, she was really excited about the idea, representing footwear and clothes, women's clothes and so much more. Because I think they really let her be very open with their ideas and collabs and so forth," he said.
The 43-year-old also detailed his experience of filming the commercial with Zendaya, confessing that while the actress was completely at ease playing air tennis, he felt like a "fish out of water."
"I just shot the commercial together with her. We played air tennis based on the 'Challengers' movie. I thought she did so well with tennis but she knew how to do tennis with no tennis ball. I was a little bit fish out of water so she was better than me. That was fun," he said.
Roger Federer disclosed that he loved working with Zendaya and expressed his desire to collaborate with the 28-year-old on designing a signature sneaker for On.
"We need something right. Actually it's a good point. I'll bring it up to the owners and the founder. Look, I love working with Zendaya, I think she's wonderful and so nice to have her at the company. Hopefully we can do some stuff together based on the 'Roger.' I would love that," he added.
Roger Federer's wife Mirka served as the blueprint for Zendaya's character in tennis-centric movie Challengers
In addition to their work with On, Roger Federer and Zendaya share a unique connection, since the Swiss legend's wife Mirka served as the blueprint for the 28-year-old's character Tashi in the tennis-centric movie 'Challengers.'
In an interview with GQ earlier this year, the film's screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes revealed that he was struck by Mirka's palpable stress during the 20-time Grand Slam champion's loss to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon 2019 final.
"She looked so stressed out, every point. I was watching her and just thinking, ‘Why are you so stressed out? You guys have all the money in the world. You've won 20 grand slams. What's so stressful to you? It has to be something else,'" he said.
Kuritzkes was also inspired by Mirka's journey to becoming the former World No. 1's manager after her own career was cut short, which was reflected in Zendaya's character taking on the role of her husband's coach after a career-ending injury.
"She kind of became [Federer’s] manager, and sort of managed his life. He credits her a lot for [his success]," he said.
Roger Federer has credited his wife Mirka for her "important" role in keeping him motivated while also managing the "crazy logistics" of traveling as a family when he was on tour.