He may have won the 2018 Australian Open tennis match but it seems Roger Federer’s advert for pasta brand Barilla is anything but a grand slam.
Federer, who just won his sixth Australian Open and 20th Grand Slam title with a five-set victory over Marin Cilic, is shown in the ad being taught to cook pasta by renowned Italian chef Davide Oldadine.
The spot has been airing throughout the Australian Open on Seven, but many viewers have been left confused as to why the ad features the Swisse player, cooking Italian food set to Greek music.
https://twitter.com/rogerfederer/status/946259440277241857
“Why the heck are you using Greek music for a Barilla ad??? Outrageous,” one person said on Facebook.
Another said: “Disgraceful!!! Very bad marketing and should be rectified.”
“Barilla should know better. Like putting an Irish jig to an ad for sushi,” another commented.
The ad, which was posted on YouTube over a month ago, has already racked up more than 31 million views.
And not all viewers hate the ad, with one commenting: "Love this ad. Perfection in every way."
Another defended the brand: "It is an ad!! People need to get a life and stop analysing ads there are much more important issue in life than the type of music been played in an ad."
Barilla, which is a major sponsor of the Australian Open, issued a statement to AdNews.
"This music choice perfectly represents the warm and joyful soul of the Mediterranean, which, when combined with the elegance and technique of a renowned chef and the greatest tennis player of all time, is the perfect combination to talk about the richness of our pasta, of the Barilla brand," Barilla says.
"It achieves all of this without being too formal or Italian stereotyped."
It’s not the first time Barilla has landed itself in hot water. In 2013 chairman Guido Barilla caused international outrage after saying he would not consider using a gay family to advertise his products.
He publically apologised for the anti-LGBT comments at the time.
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