Relaunching Nike’s tennis category by revisiting the sport’s biggest rivalry

Client Side: Nike, 2015

There is one opponent whose name will be mentioned alongside yours forever.

I know you can’t see it now, but you will have a fierce, special rivalry with Andre Agassi. He’ll be the best player you play against during your career, and he will bring out the best in you. You’ll rise to be the best in the world together…This rivalry will be bigger than either of you could ever dream…one of the best the game will ever see.

- Pete Sampras, Player’s Tribune (2015)

20 years after the iconic Street Tennis ad, Nike reunited tennis’ legends Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras to pay homage to the anniversary through an experiential and social activation in NYC. They were joined by NikeCourt athletes past and present, as well as a few Nike+ members. The event featured an unprecedented arsenal of star power, as 86 major singles titles were represented on the court.

This series of matches between the greatest names in tennis were documented by the Nike NYC Snapchat. This was a first of its kind, elevating the role of the Snapchat story in a way that was a first of its kind for Nike and the category at the time.

I worked with key members of the Sportswear Brand team to create heritage content tied for the SNKRS apps including sourcing old ads (like this, this, and this) in Nike’s archive that detailed their rivalry and helped refine storytelling and work through consumer journeys from SNKRS to Nike.com and beyond.