Rafael Nadal called time on his iconic tennis career earlier this month, and has now given his true thoughts on his relationship with long-time rival Roger Federer

The Core Values campaign, launched in 2007 under Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari, has featured icons like Pele, Maradona, Mikhail Gorbachev and Angelina Jolie. After a hiatus, the series returned in 2022 with an ad starring Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Now, it spotlights Nadal and Federer.

It was a scene ripped from a John le Carré novel. According to firsthand accounts and court documents, a man is told to go to the front desk of the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Manhattan and say the phrase “banana peel.” The concierge then hands him an envelope with orders to circle the block …

The Swiss Maestro arranged his retirement for the 2022 Laver Cup in London, asking Nadal to share the court with him in the doubles match. Rafa could not refuse such an offer despite injuries and setbacks, traveling to London and competing alongside his good friend for the final time.

Federer and Nadal were once fierce rivals in tennis but are now close friends, having dominated the sport together for around two decades, winning a combined total of 42 major singles titles before they retired. ‘A legendary journey to the top,’ Louis Vuitton wrote on Instagram alongside their edited image of the Federer and Nadal.