Indiantelevision.com Team

(21 August 2006 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: With the final tennis Grand Slam of the year the US Open kicking off on 28 August 2006, Nike unveils its first television commercial with Maria Sharapova.

She is currently ranked number four in the world and she has just won her 12th career title following her victory at the recent Acura Tennis Classic. In India the US Open airs on Ten Sports.

The ad features Sharapova during her pre-game routine as she travels from her hotel to center court, passing hotel bellmen, fans and other players -- all as they are singing I Feel Pretty. Through this procession, she remains focussed on the upcoming match. As she enters Arthur Ashe stadium, the crowd is singing as the song reaches a crescendo.

She hits an explosive shot, letting out one of her famous grunts, silencing the audience. In the ad, Maria will debut her Nike performance tennis dress for New York. However, the performance dress worn in the ad is just one half of her unique look for the New York slam. In a new twist, for the first time, Maria will unveil a separate, custom made performance dress for her evening matches in New York as well.

The commercial features appearances by tennis Hall of Fame inductee John McEnroe, his brother and captain of the 2004 US Men's Olympic tennis team, Patrick McEnroe, and two-time tennis Olympic gold medalist Mary Joe Fernandez.

Nike's director of advertising Adam Roth says, "Nike has a long history of celebrating the 'beauty' of sport in many different ways. In Maria's case, true beauty lies in her intensity, her athleticism and her competitive spirit. This campaign has some well-intentioned fun with the idea that it's a big mistake to underestimate Maria, or any other talented, hard-working female athlete."