Iga Swiatek‘s victory at Roland Garros has thrown down the gauntlet for other clay court contenders. Besides consistently keeping her name up in the competition, the tennis star is also in contact with Roger Federer because of her collaboration with the sportswear brand On. Despite having an undisputed champion in-house, the brand decided to introduce an outsider face, Zendaya, in the marketing campaign, presenting a direct snub against the Pole. No doubt, tennis fans are ready to serve up some criticism!

Tennis great Roger Federer teams up with rising star Zendaya for a playful new campaign by Swiss sports company On. The unlikely duo was spotted in Zurich recently, not locked in an intense match, but rather playfully swinging their racquets for the camera. Nearly 40 people gathered outside On’s Zurich-West headquarters on Wednesday afternoon, according to a report by 20 Minuten on Thursday. This shoot marks Zendaya’s official debut as the brand ambassador for On, a role confirmed earlier this year by Federer himself through social media posts (Facebook and Instagram specifically).

It hasn’t been long since Hollywood celebrity Zendaya appeared on the big screen with a racquet in her hands. Rated 7.3 on IMDb, her movie Challengers might have gathered the attention of fans but the fact that she’s set to share the screen with Roger Federer triggered a conflict of opinion among the fans.

Fans lash out at Iga Swiatek’s absence in On Running’s commercial shoot

A fan taunted Roger Federer by reminding him that he has Iga Swiatek on board. “Does Roger know he has an actual female tennis player on his brand who he could shoot some ads with?” he wrote. Iga Swiatek expressed excitement as she joined hands with On back in March 2023. Even after coming a long way, she doesn’t get a chance to share the frame with Federer yet.

Not everyone appreciates the immense fame that revolves around Zendaya. Narrating the fact that he learned about the actress because of Swiatek, a fan wrote, “And – as someone mentioned zendaya is so overrated 🫣😅 I didn’t even know who she is until til she took a picture with Iga 🤣🤣.” This probably took place during Indian Wells as Zendaya made it to the box to be a spectator in the final showdown against Maria Sakkari.

A fan saw multiple flaws in Zendaya’s acting as a tennis player. Drawing a conclusion from this particular video session, he wrote, “She’s so over rated! Look at her, she’s not even able to mimic simple tennis movements!” Similarly, Zendaya’s movie Challengers received a mixed set of responses from the fans. While some may have liked her presence, others despised the story.

Even a seasoned tennis fan didn’t find the decision to bring Zendaya in relevant. Explaining his interest in the sport along with sharing an unbiased opinion, he wrote, “I rarely watch tennis these days, and I wasn’t even aware that Iga was signed to On. They should be promoting her more as she is supposed to be the best player in the world.” There have been multiple discussions regarding Iga Swiatek’s presence at On being disregarded.

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The discussions started to dig deeper as a fan highlighted another fact from Roger Federer. Iga Swiatek’s victory at Roland Garros drew comments from notable figures from the tennis world. Despite being commercially connected with her, Federer didn’t come forward to drop a note. Highlighting the same a fan wrote, “yes, disappointing. he is not even congratulating her on her wins.”

With these and several other comments on a similar note, the fans made it clear that they were not at all satisfied with Zendaya’s entry as the new face of On Running’s marketing campaign. Although the marketing dynamics of a brand depend on a set of aspects, Iga Swiatek’s absence still hindered the expectations of the fans.