Did you walk on the Bir-Hakeim bridge on Thursday, between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., and thought you recognized Roger Federer? Your brain isn’t playing tricks on you. The Swiss star took part in the filming of a clip organized by the Japanese brand Uniqlo on this bridge between the 15th and 16th arrondissements of Paris. For an hour, the ex-tennis player, dressed in a light brown suit and black shoes, strolled on the central platform of the bridge – privatized for the occasion – with a direct view of the Eiffel Tower.
It is in fact the continuation of a series called “24 Hours with Roger”, in which the former world number 1 parades through the streets of a city. After Tokyo, Shanghai, New York and London, Paris is the fifth city in the spotlight. The series will be available in the coming weeks on the clothing brand’s YouTube channel.
In addition to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, passages of the video were also filmed in La Courneuve, for the inauguration of a tennis court with the Fête le Mur association, where Le Parisien was able to meet him. The production team maintains secrecy regarding the next filming locations, but it seems that the convoy went, late in the afternoon, to Bob Sinclar’s studio in the Marais (Paris 3rd). “In any case, nothing is planned at Roland-Garros,” we were assured. Filming ends this evening (Thursday). »
Federer himself allowed selfies
The operation therefore has no link with Rafael Nadal, although the two stars had filmed together in a video shot a few days earlier for Louis Vuitton (also owner of the Le Parisien-Les Échos group). Carried out on the sly, this filming still caught the eyes of a few lucky people present at the same time as him.
If many tourists wandered around without recognizing the Swiss, others waited, sometimes several tens of minutes, to hope to get a photo. After all, you don’t come across a player with 20 Grand Slams every day on the public road.
Three or four of them were able to get their selfie (with, as a bonus, the Eiffel Tower in the background), and although security tried to rush this photo opportunity, Federer himself insisted so that “his biggest fan” also has the right to his moment of remembrance. Before getting back into his car with tinted windows, not without greeting this small audience by putting on his glasses. “Bye Roger!” » proclaimed this small assembly which will remember this afternoon for a long time.
