Federer goes vintage with classic Mercedes SL roadsters

Roger Federer may be done competing for the remainder of 2016, but he is certainly not done entertaining his fans and tennis enthusiasts. To commemorate the launch of the new 2017 Mercedes-Benz SL during the US Open, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) featured long-time ambassador Federer in “Timeless,” a series of vignettes celebrating icons of the tennis world across different decades, paired with a Mercedes-Benz SL from the same era.

Except Federer wasn’t cast in the campaign as Federer, per se. Instead, he impersonates tennis greats of the past 50 years, including Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Björn Borg. MBUSA did not put Federer in hair extensions and fake chest hair just for fun. Outfitted as these players from years past, he drives an SL of similar vintage to demonstrate the enduring excellence of these two timeless legends.

“By putting Roger  in an inherently sharable, fully digital campaign, preceded by a week of teasers on MBUSA’s social channels, we hope to provide some entertainment for  tennis fans and pique interest in our own icon among social- and digital-first consumers,” said Mark Aikman, general manager of marketing at MBUSA. “The Mercedes-Benz SL evokes the iconic design that lasts through the ages, which pairs well with the legends of tennis and the origins of Roger’s stature today.”

Narrated by sportscaster Bill Macatee, the video runs through the decades of Federer as “the kid,” smashing water coolers and wearing a sweater in the summertime without breaking a sweat. As each of these athletes propelled tennis to a higher level in their respective eras, so too the accompanying Mercedes-Benz SL advanced the automotive world—without quite as much pomade. The look of “vintage Federer,” achieved with combination of CGI and practical effects like using a real camcorder, makes it seem like Federer has been with us the whole time.