From deuce to advantage, sportswear behemoth Nike marked the milestone victory of long-time athlete ambassador Rafael Nadal by rolling out an ‘Advantage Nadal’ social spot just minutes after the Spaniard won the Australian Open to notch up his 21st Grand Slam title – the most Grand Slams won by any male player.
The sports apparel brand’s congratulatory video was posted across Nike’s own social channels on Sunday within an hour of Nadal breaking the men’s Grand Slam record with his five set epic win against Russian Daniil Medvedev.
The 44-second film follows in the creative footsteps of recent Nike low latency, quick response ads by blending bold white typed copy on a simple black background with action clips, commentary and a tennis scoreboard ticking up his Grand Slam titles. It also includes reference to some tennis analysts and experts doubting Nadal after his failure to win a single Slam in 2015 and 2016.
Before the 30 January AO 2022 final, Nadal was tied at 20 Grand Slam wins with both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, but now he leads the trio with 21 wins and, as Nike’s ad states, now it is ‘Advantage, Nadal’.
Advantage, Nadal.
Today, @rafaelnadal made history by becoming the first male tennis player ever to reach 21 Majors. Rafa has been on a relentless journey to clinch this historic 21st Slam. He now stands alone at the top as the GOAT in the men’s game. pic.twitter.com/0DsIVmvTFR
— Nike (@Nike) January 30, 2022
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The match marked another milestone in men’s tennis history and Nadal’s career, and Nike wasn’t the Spanish star’s only brand partner to celebrate his victory on their social networks.
Fellow sponsor Banco Santander also posted a celebratory ‘Rafa Nadal Takes Another Bite Out Of History’ online video recounting Nadal’s Grand Slams via a series of photos of the player biting the trophies he has won (one of his hallmark acts of victory).
¡@RafaelNadal, eres ÚNICO!
¡ENHORABUENA!
Nuestro embajador se convierte en el primer tenista de la historia en ganar 21 Grand Slams ¡Increíble!
Nunca dejas de sorprendernos y emocionarnos.#AusOpen #AO2022 #VamosRafa pic.twitter.com/LuMzkmtGBR
— Santander España (@santander_es) January 30, 2022
Whilst long-time automotive partner (and Australian Open main sponsor) Kia also activated around its endorser’s win with congratulatory messages about being the greatest of all time and thanking him for inspiring everyone.
¡Acabas de hacer historia, @RafaNadal!
¡Has demostrado una vez más que eres el más GRANDE!Gracias por inspirarnos con tu espíritu de lucha.
Photo: @TennisAustralia
#Kia #TeamRafa #MovementThatInspires #A02022 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/PYcPT3EH4F— Kia España (@KiaEspana) January 30, 2022
Fellow brand sponsor Telefonica celebrated with a smart piece of copy in its ‘Histó21co’ tweet.
¡¡QUÉ GRANDE ERES, RAFA!!
Nuestro embajador @RafaelNadal se convierte en el tenista con más torneos de Grand Slam tras ganar el #AusOpen
¡¡¡¡ENHORABUENA CAMPEÓN!!!! #VamosRafa #MejorConectados pic.twitter.com/5ZyoUnG9CA
— Telefónica (@Telefonica) January 30, 2022
And other brands sending their social congratulations to Nadal included Iberia, LG and Heineken.
¡Campeón! Tu esfuerzo y tus ganas de superación te han hecho volar a lo más alto. @RafaelNadal acabas de hacer historia y has conseguido hacer vibrar de nuevo a un país. ¡Enhorabuena! #CadaDíaEsElPrimerDía #TalentoABordo https://t.co/pmTI1n5r8m
— Iberia (@Iberia) January 30, 2022
¡A la final del Open de Australia! @RafaelNadal regresa a lo más alto demostrando que nunca hay que darse por vencido. ¡A por todas! #SienteLosColoresConLG https://t.co/Q44x78mY2w
— LG España (@lgespana) January 28, 2022
¡Muchas felicidades @RafaelNadal por hacer historia! No podíamos estar más orgullosos de contar con un embajador como tú para nuestra @Amstel_ES Oro 0,0 y el consumo responsable
— HEINEKEN España (@Heineken_ESCorp) January 30, 2022
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