Federer’s 2012 Video Anthology – Off-Court and Personal

January 3, 2013 by rogerfedererfan 8 Comments

Happy New Year everybody! As we kick off 2013 we are unfortunately still about two weeks away from seeing Roger Federer on court. To cope with tennis withdrawal I started searching youtube for the Maestro’s clips. To my pleasant surprise I found a ton just from 2012 alone. There were sponsor commercials in addition to some of Roger’s own off-court videos talking to his fans, ATP videos and so on. I had a great time going through Federer’s 2012 video anthology and it made me realize that in addition to having a stellar year on-court, he had a similar year off-court as well; so much so that I thought they deserved a post of their own. So while the Swiss gets in shape for the Australian Open in the sandy backdrop of Dubai, take a moment to grab a cup of hot chocolate, get under the blankets, and re-live the Best of Roger Federer 2012 – Off-Court and Personal.

Sponsors:-

2012 gave us A LOT of sponsor videos – commercials, behind the scenes of shoots and tributes as well. Roger had 9 sponsors at the start of the year – which became an even 10 by the end of it. As far as I could find, he’s done commercials for all of them in 2012. Here is a list of the ones I collected but there might be more out there. If you find any, please send me the link!

1. Credit Suisse: We got a look at the making-of video of the latest Credit Suisse campaign which shows “Roger Federer as you have never seen him before.” Then, in the midst of the World Tour Finals, Credit Suisse released another clip advertising their app. It starts with the Maestro playing the “Roger Federer’s Tennis Challenge” which is a part of the “Les Amis du Credit Suisse” app. Cue stampede of fans rushing to download the app just to hear Roger’s commentary!

2. Gillette:  Gillette had 2 commercials. Earlier in the year Gillette ran a commercial for the Olympics featuring Federer and here’s the making-of. He also did a mini interview while shooting the Olympics commercial; it’s in 2 parts, here’s the first and the second. Then, as we know, the year ended with the Gillette Federer Tour which was a huge success. To generate buzz for the tour, Roger starred in this commercial made for Brazilian TV audiences. In its 1 minute 19 second duration the ad gave us Roger speaking in Portuguese and playing the most popular sports in Brazil, football and volleyball. Most importantly however, it gave us the Federer Dance – enough said. I think in 2013 I will celebrate every Roger point with this dance, who’s with me?!

3. Jura: Roger shot for a Jura commercial at the end of 2011 and the making-of video is linked here. The commercial itself premiered in 2012. In addition, while at Rotterdam, Roger did an interview session sponsored by Jura as well. I loved this interview because he was asked a lot about tennis in general and I always feel that on top of everything else, he has an excellent knowledge about the sport, its past, present and future. I actually learn about tennis through his insightful detailed answers so this was a treat for me!

4. Lindt: Lindt did a sequel to their highly popular “Airport Security” commercial with a “Lost Baggage” theme. And while I love the ad itself, the making-of video is the one to see! He also did a commercial in Swiss German before Basel 2012.

5. Mercedes-Benz: Roger shot 2 commercials for Mercedes in 2012. The first video was for Chinese TV. The next one was for the 7-passenger 2013 GL-Class. The theme was “multiple Rogers” and shows the Swiss in all his avatars. And here’s the behind-the-scenes of the shoot. He also did a subsequent video labelled ‘2013 GL-Class Walk Around with Roger Federer’.

6. Nationale Suisse: I found this commercial on youtube but truth be told, this is the only video that I am not 100% sure of whether it’s from 2012 or not so do let me know if I have this incorrect.

7. Nike: Nike did 3 clips with Roger this year: The Advantage of Precise Footwork, The Advantage of Superior Preparation, The Advantage of Superior Serves and a commercial as well. There were also two more clips, The Advantage of Inside Access- Melbourne Player’s Lounge 2012 and an interesting look at the design and inspiration behind the ZV9T shoe.

8. Rolex: Rolex also had a fantastic series of clips with Roger and Vijay Amritraj, I’ve listed them out here. Roger Federer: Wimbledon – Rolex Rendezvous, Roger Federer: Every Rolex Tells a Story – Rolex Rendezvous, Roger Federer: Inspiration – Rolex Rendezvous and Roger Federer meets the Sky-Dweller by Rolex. There was also a commercial, Roger Federer, Greatness Achieved – by Rolex that ran throughout the year.

9. Wilson: Wilson released 2 clips of “Inside Fed’s Head” with Inside Fed’s Head- Session 4: Development and Inside Fed’s Head- Session 9: Longevity.

10. Moët & Chandon: Just before going off to South America for the exhibitions, Roger Federer was officially revealed as the new brand ambassador of Moët & Chandon. Here’s the delicious commercial where Roger looks divine in a suit and here is Roger’s behind-the-scenes interview about his new sponsor.

Tribute Videos:-

The Maestro set several records in 2012 and to commemorate these events both his sponsors and the ATP produced videos that should be included here.

Here is Credit Suisse’s video congratulating Roger on reaching 287 weeks as World #1. Here’s the longer version of the interview he did in Swiss German which is dubbed in English. Then 13 weeks later Wilson came out with this tribute when Roger reached 300 weeks ranked as the #1 player in the world.

Roger is always featured in multiple ATP videos each year but there were three special ones celebrating Roger reaching three important milestones that deserved a special mention:

Here’s the one when he reached 287 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings, breaking Pete Sampras’ record. And here is the subsequent video when he reached 300 weeks.

My favorite ATP video however has to be the 17^th Grand Slam record one. The video gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I watch it, because it reminds me just how much the Maestro has achieved and how blessed we have been to be able to witness it.

Roger on facebook:-

Roger himself also gave us several videos which were posted on his facebook page. He did 2 clips at beginning of the Australian Open and Roland Garros and also when he reached 287 weeks as #1 for which he thanked his fans. He also won the ATP Fans Favourite Award in 2012 for the 10^th consecutive year and uploaded a clip thanking his fans for their votes. He ended the year with wishing everyone a happy new year on Dec 31^st.

The Roger Federer youtube channel:-

We can’t end this post without mentioning the Roger Federer youtube channel. As a part of the Gillette Federer Tour, Roger took another leap forward in connecting with his fans by launching his own youtube channel. Not only were the exhibitions matches streamed live, he also uploaded many personal off-court clips which let us experience the tour with him up close like never before. If you’re an obsessive Federer fan like I am, you will enjoy his clips of touring South America immensely. His visit to the produce market, the kid’s clinic in Brazil and the Iguazú Falls are my top 3 in that list.

Hope you enjoyed this collection! I am sure it’s not complete but it gives a sense of how we were able to see Roger beyond the tennis courts in 2012. Can’t wait for the 2013 season to start off, only 11 days to go! Allez Roger!