Roger Federer, who won his record eighth(!) Wimbledon title back in July, recently took a trip with Complex to Stadium Goods to do some Sneaker Shopping with Joe La Puma, and based on his affinity for Michael Jordan, as well as his collaborative shoes with the basketball and sneaker god, the talk turned to Jordan's legacy and influence on Federer at an early age.
Federer said he "watched every Sunday show" full of sports clips, and "Michael was the guy. He transcended basketball and was a hero of our entire generation."
Standing against a wall full of Jordans at Stadium Goods, Federer explained, "We see it here; the wall is just all Jordan, and this is where it hits you again... how much he's done on the court and how much it went into the streets and just how popular he was in Switzerland and in Germany where I grew up, he was so big and so well-liked and so successful, well-spoken. There was everything about him. He had the perfect run going for so long."
With Jordan's post-basketball success in the sneaker world, and Federer also putting out his own shoes with Nike, it was a given that these two would collaborate. Federer called it a "dream," especially since Nike allowed Roger to use the iconic Jordan 3 design for the collaboration. "I love the elephant print, so for me that was a dream come true," Federer said. "Looking back, I can always say I have a shoe with Michael."
Roger doesn't have to look back to recall his work with Jordan, though; Sole Collector recently let the world know that Jordan Brand is back once again with a new collab with Federer on the Nike Zoom Vapor RF AJ3s. It's a blend of the Jordan 3s (once again) and the Vapor Tour 9 as the base.
We imagine there's a bright future for more Federer and Jordan collaborations, which must be music to Federer's ears.
