New Nike Tennis Commercial Reveals Roger Federer's "Coach"

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A new Nike tennis spot that broke Wednesday in the U.K. reveals ATP Tour member Roger Federer's "secret coach," according to Rich Brown of the London TELEGRAPH. The ad shows Federer "being ambushed" by his coach -- played by actor Rhys Darby, who stars in HBO's "Flight of the Conchords" -- as he "returns home late at night following a day on the court." The coach "blasts numerous tennis balls" at Federer, but Federer "uses his trusted racket to fend off the barrage with his full range of strokes" (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 7/2). In Manchester, Mark Sweney reports the ad was created in-house at Nike's Portland HQs and will air on Sky Sports. The release of the ad "has been timed to coincide with the closing stages of Federer's bid for a record-breaking sixth consecutive Wimbledon title" (Manchester GUARDIAN, 7/3).

GREAT SCOTT! CNBC's Darren Rovell reported Nike plans to release its new Hyperdunk shoe in a teal version to resemble the “Air McFly” shoes actor Michael J. Fox sported in the ’89 film “Back To The Future II.” Fewer than 1,000 pairs of the shoes will be produced. Nike is not using “Back to the Future” or the word “McFly” in relation to the shoe, as sources said that Nike is “trying to figure out just how much NBC Universal, which owns rights to the film,” wants to be associated with the project (CNBC.com, 7/2).