Elmo had many questions and Roger Federer had many answers. But Ben Shelton? He just had a good laugh. On Feb 7, 2025, the Swiss apparel brand ON posted a video on their Instagram account, featuring Roger Federer and the popular Sesame Street muppet, Elmo. Instead of talking about tennis, Elmo had a bigger concern about Fed’s shoes, as a silly mix-up had slipped through. And, Ben Shelton couldn’t help but crack up after Elmo called out the Swiss maestro.

Ben Shelton is sponsored by ON himself. In March 2023, the 22-year-old signed a deal with ON and became the brand’s first active representation in men’s tennis. But did he ever pay enough attention to the ON logo? Well, now he might.

After just six hours of being posted on ON’s Instagram, their latest ad video featuring Roger Federer and Sesame Street’s Elmo received over 2.6 million views. In the video, Elmo is seated on a green umpire’s chair and asks Federer a question about his ON sneakers in his high-pitched voice. “Mr. Roger Federer, why does it say Q and C on your shoes?”

“That’s an O and N for ON,” Federer responds. But Elmo doesn’t hold back. “Well, you know, Elmo knows his alphabet and that’s definitely a Q and a C,” he asserts. “Trust me, Elmo, it’s ON,” Fed explains again. But Elmo looks confused and quips, “But you know, Elmo loves you, Mr. Roger Federer, even if you don’t know your alphabet yet.”

Over 1,190 comments, after just 6 hours of posting, debated who was right: Elmo or Federer under the video’s comments section. Immediately after the video was posted, Ben Shelton took to his Instagram story as well, as he shared the video adding a laughing emoji next to the words “QC.”

ON was first launched as a running shoe company in 2010, but since then has expanded its product line to trail shoes, walking shoes, and performance apparel. After Roger Federer invested in ON in 2019, their ambassador roster has been expanding. Along with Ben Shelton, the brand also signed World No. 2 Iga Świątek in 2023. The Polish star was previously an Asics ambassador. 

But that’s not the only connection Ben Shelton and Roger Federer share. Shelton’s relationship with ON came about in a similar manner as Federer’s relationship with ON. Federer was a Nike ambassador for 24 years, from 1994 until 2018. After that, he switched to Uniqlo for his clothing and promoted ON’s footwear. The Swiss maestro currently owns 3% shares of it, which reportedly amounts to $300 million.

Similar to Federer, Shelton also valued ON over major brands like Nike and Adidas and said, “Not throwing any shade, but you go to the US Open, and you see the guys in Nike, and there’s 20 guys wearing the same thing, or Adidas, 20 guys wearing the same thing,” he told FOS before the Laver Cup in Berlin. Shelton has often praised ON for the exclusivity and personalized touch they offer him.

And now the brand has lifted his spirits again after a tough loss in Dallas.

Even in Defeat, Elmo Brings a Smile to Shelton’s Face

Just a few hours after his defeat in the Round of 16 at the ATP Dallas Open, Ben Shelton posted ON’s video on his story with laughing emojis. The American star lost to the Spaniard, Jaume Munar in straight sets by 6-2 7-6(3). After a very impressive Australian Open campaign where he made his way to the semis, beating the likes of Lorenzo Musetti and Gael Monfils, a defeat in the pre-quarters in Dallas is a bit of a setback for Shelton. But Elmo, Federer, and ON might have helped him cheer up. 

The Dallas Open might not have proven to be as successful for Shelton as the fans hoped. But, it gave him a moment of joy, just like the ON’s video. During his Round of 32 match against Aleksandar Vukic, a fan creatively proposed to Shelton for prom. The fan held up a card that had an alligator pun on it. It read, “Ben, nothing would be alligreator than a yes to prom.”  The Dallas Open’s Instagram account shared pictures of that moment with the caption, “Tag us in the prom photos.” And, Shelton reshared it on his Instagram story with a crying-laughing emoji.

But this wasn’t the first time Shelton encountered such a situation. Previously, at the 2024 ATP 500 in Basel, one of the spectators proposed to him mid-way through the match, shouting, “Ben, will you marry me?” And even on that occasion, Shelton could not hold back his laughter.

Whether it’s fans or a red, fuzzy Muppet, Shelton is always open to finding humor in every situation, even after a disappointing loss. But do you think Elmo has a point about the ON logo? Share your thoughts in the comments below.