Roger Federer stepped onto a football set-up with the caution of a man leaving grass courts behind, then produced the trick that made Thierry Henry throw a fist into the air.
The move
The 45-year-old Swiss tennis great appeared in a video posted by On Football, the new football arm of Swiss equipment brand On. Federer, a shareholder in the company and winner of 20 Grand Slam titles, was challenged by Henry to copy a technical football move.
His first attempt did not come off. Federer laughed that he felt as though he might fall forward onto the ground head first.
After Henry showed the technique again in a sequence partly removed in the edit, Federer managed it on his next go. The former Arsenal forward, clearly impressed, celebrated with a raised clenched fist.
Henry said Federer could be shown something once, store it in his “computer” — meaning his brain — and then reproduce it. Federer admitted that he had surprised himself.
The French season around it
Henry has recently been appointed On’s director of football, joining the company’s expanding push into the game after Kylian Mbappé arrived as part of the brand’s football project.
The video underlines On’s intention to establish a larger presence in football. Founded in 2010, the Swiss brand has continued to grow, with Federer now helping to front its sporting identity beyond tennis.
