Monte Carlo—Lacoste named 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic as its new ambassador on May 22, coincidentally the 30th birthday of the Serbian professional tennis player.
The reveal was formally announced at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Monaco.
“It’s a new chapter in my life,” Djokovic told about 200 sports and lifestyle media members who flew in to this jet-setters’ paradise along the French Riviera.
Djokovic, introduced by Lacoste CEO Thierry Guibert, spoke of shared values with the top French clothing company, which was founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste and André Gillier.
He said he felt honored to be the “new croc,” a brand whose legacy he values and respects.
He also spoke of how his decision to recruit Andre Agassi as his coach for the French Open—which starts next week—also marked a milestone in his life, and how he is rediscovering tennis as “pure joy and excitement.”
He pointed out how, like Agassi—an eight-time Grand Slam champion—he’s going through changes in his life.
Djokovic—winner of the 2016 French Open and currently ranked world No. 2 in men’s singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)—mentioned how he works to fight fear daily and seeks the balance of life on- and off-court.
He said that being a father changed his “consciousness about the game,” and how he longs to see his son in the player’s box one day rooting for him.
That is motivation, he said.
A video of the styles Djokovic would wear as Lacoste endorser was played.
“Everything is getting lighter,” he commented on current trends in tennis wear.
The reigning French Open champion recounted how his mother and father have been wearing Lacoste since his childhood, so this new endorsement is like revisiting the brand.
A high point for me was when Djokovic—after posing for photos, and I approached him for a selfie—got hold of my iPhone and said, “Let’s do a video.”
Then, with him handling our iPhone, he greeted Filipinos on video.
“What’s hello in Filipino?” he asked me.
“Mabuhay,” I said.
The rest of the story, I will tell another day.
Today, I’m trying to relish the moment the Inquirer broke protocol yet again.
Lacoste is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Stores Specialists, Inc.
