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Anthony Gharib, ESPN
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal teamed up with Louis Vuitton for a new chapter in its “Core Values” campaign, which was announced Saturday morning. The main values center on “a journey beyond the physical, a commitment to excellence, and a transmission of dreams.”
From 2004 to 2019, Federer and Nadal faced off 40 times on the ATP tour, nine of which came during the final of a major tournament.
Federer has 20 grand slam titles, while Nadal has 22 and counting. For years, a conversation about Federer couldn’t be had without mentioning Nadal, and vice versa, with their rivalry captivating tennis fans worldwide.
Federer and Nadal put aside their tennis rackets for a trip to the summit of Italy’s Dolomite mountain range. Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, a behind-the-scenes picture shows Nadal and Federer smiling together while on the mountain. Another image shows them standing on the peak.
The campaign includes the tagline: “These are journeys that turn into legends,” featuring photos of the two in the snowy mountains together.
“It’s a unique opportunity to be working on this campaign with Rafa. How we could be such rivals and then at the end of our careers be beside each other doing this campaign has been very cool,” Federer said in a press release. “And where we are here today, I think it also embodies everything: at the peak of the mountains. For us it is something meaningful and special.”
The tennis giants had a more cordial relationship as years went on.
Federer and Nadal were teamed up in a doubles match at the Laver Cup in September 2022. It was Federer’s final match before his retirement, and showed how close the two had grown. They sat next to each other and cried together during a post-match ceremony honoring Federer.
Originally launched by Pietro Beccari, chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton 17 years ago, the campaign “celebrates Louis Vuitton’s legacy of travel, of working with exceptional people, and of transmission.”
“I know how many important icons have been part of this campaign, so for me personally, being part of it is something that I am very proud of, especially sharing it with Roger — he has been my biggest rival and now a close friend today,” Nadal said in a press release. “In my career, I achieved more than I ever dreamed of, so at the end of the day, the legacy in terms of human beings is the most important value.”