Rafael Nadal And Roger Federer's Rivarly Takes Center Court In Louis Vuitton Ad

The greatest tennis rivalry is now immortalized as friendship, thanks to Louis Vuitton.

It’s been two years since the tennis world witnessed the end of one of the sports’ greatest rivalries: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. When the former retired at the 2022 Laver Cup, where the two played as a doubles team, it was unlikely that fans would ever see them together on court again.  Now, the two are partnering on a different type of team: a campaign with Louis Vuitton.

The Grand Slam champions, who share a combined 195 singles titles, joined each other at the top of Italy’s Dolomite Mountains to shoot the house’s Core Values campaign, which sees Nadal and Federer on a journey to the top of the alpine landscape, a life-imitates-sport metaphor that’s meant to celebrate the pair’s decades-long run to the pinnacle of tennis.

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“Each Core Values chapter celebrates Louis Vuitton’s legacy of travel, of working with exceptional people, and of transmission–both physical and emotional,” said Pietro Beccari, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, via a press release. “It has been brilliant to work with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on this new story—both inspirational athletes, fierce friends, and testaments to the discipline and excellence of their own personal sporting journeys.”

Shot by Annie Leibovitz, the campaign—titled “There are Journeys that turn into Legends”—features the brand's Monogram Christopher and Monogram Eclipse backpacks on Federer and Nadal, who are pictured as companions, not rivals. "It’s a unique opportunity to be working on this campaign with Rafa,” said Federer via press release. “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.” The shot evokes a touching moment during Federer’s retirement ceremony when the two shared an emotional on-court farewell at the 2022 Laver Cup. “He has been my biggest rival and now a close friend today,” said Nadal via press release. “In my career, I achieved more than I ever dreamt of, so at the end of the day, the legacy in terms of human beings is the most important value.”

It’s a pivotal moment for the two champions, who find themselves in unique positions in their respective careers. Federer—who retired at 41—just released the first trailer of the documentary 12 Final Days—set to debut on June 20—which follows the Swiss throughout his last week as a professional tennis player. Meanwhile, Nadal finds himself back on the ATP Tour, following an injury-ridden 2023 that forced him out of the court, drawing crowds in an unconfirmed farewell tour that saw him play his last Madrid Open last month. The 14-time Roland Garros champion is expected to play in the Paris tournament starting May 26. The two now join fellow former world no.1 Carlos Alcaraz as Louis Vuitton campaign headliners.

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