New mum Ash Barty has bought a fixer upper and has called in some help! Grand Slam superstar teams up with Rafael Nadal and Aussie sport legends for hilarious new advert
New mum Ash Barty has bought a fixer-upper and has called in some favours from some legends of the Aussie sporting world, and Spannish tennis great Rafael Nadal, as part of a hilarious new advert.
KIA sent sporting fans into meltdown last year with their brilliant TV advert for their latest pickup truck, with 20 Australia sports stars, including the likes of Swans legend Buddy Franklin, UFC great Alexander Volkanovski and tennis great Dylan Alcott, all appearing in the advert.
But this time, the South Korean car manufacturer has taken things up a notch, with Barty returning to headline the brand's latest advertisement for its new KIA Tasman pickup.
It comes just a day after the three-time Grand Slam winner, Barty, announced to the world that she had given birth to her second child.
The tennis legend, who retired in 2022, took to Instagram on Monday to share several pictures of her newborn baby, writing: 'Welcome to the world Jordan. You are loved unconditionally and we are so grateful to have you in our arms, gorgeous girl.'
But the mum of two showed off her acting skills during the clip, which was previewed on Nine's Current Affair on Tuesday.
The advert begins with Barty arriving at a run-down house in the countryside, with the Aussie tennis star, 29, looking down at a real estate brochure showing a pristine-looking house, but the camera then pans up to show that the advert was severely misleading, with the house in all sorts of disrepair.
'Home sweet home,' a lady says to Barty as they arrive at the house, with the tennis great replying: 'Needs a bit of work...'
The pair then have called in several legends from the world of Aussie sport to help them do up the house, including AFL legend Peter Daicos, Test cricket great Jason Gillespie, AFL Hall of Famer Erin Phillips, and tennis champion Pat Rafter.
The hilarious advertisement also sees Spanish tennis great and 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal make a brief appearance. Nadal, who appeared in a video call, drew upon his knowledge of Aussie slang when pressed on whether he'd come and help Barty renovate the house.
He replied by hilariously asking: 'Is it a cashie?'
'He's dreaming,' Barty's construction manager responded.
Nadal revealed to Nine's A Current Affair that he had 'heard of the slang before.' He added 'It's a funny thing. An Australian expression.'
The ex-sports stars-turned-tradies begin to arrive in the new KIA Tasman pickups to help Barty fix-up her new home.
Basketball legend Luc Longley and Phillips, turn up to sort the decorations on the house, with the pair covered in paint.
Barty is seen shouting at the pair, appearing to poke fun at the 7ft 2in former NBA star's height, asking: 'You guys need a ladder?'
AFLW superstar Phillips, who was last week inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, replied: 'Nah think we'll be right!' with Longley laughing: 'Ladders.'
During the ad, Longley drops a number of basketball-related puns, with his painting company for the advertisement being called 'In The Paint' - a reference to the rectangular area on the court by the basket, where he spent most of his time on the court as a player.
'I love the sign on my Tasman. They had in the paint on the side in a basketball keyway. They've obviously given a lot of thought to it,' he told A Current Affair.
KIA have also played on the words of Peter Daicos' nickname, with the former Collingwood star being well known among footy fans as the Macedonian Marvel.
During the add, his building company is known as Macedonian Marble, with Daicos introducing himself to the cameras by showcasing a thick slab of 'beautiful Macedonian marble'.
'I'm not going to sit by the phone and wait for Hollywood, but I think I've got a little bit of tidying up to do when it comes to acting,' Daicos said.
Another Collingwood great, Dane Swan, also appears in the clip playing Barty's next-door neighbour, with the footy star making light on his reputation as a player who enjoyed going out partying.
He rocks up next door in a KIA Tasman with the logo 'Dane's Party Supplies' printed on its window, unloading several large speakers from its flatbed.
'I'm happy to be the party supplier, it was very true in real life so might as well throw it to the ad,' he said.
NRL great Geoff Toovey also joins up with the sporting legends and, of course, has to make a cameo where he repeats the iconic line he said in a press conference during his time at Manly: 'That's ridiculous, there's got to be an investigation.'
Meanwhile, Barty called in the services of Rafter, known for his amazing skills on grass tennis courts, to lay turf on the lawns around the house.
But Rafter never won at Wimbledon, reaching the final on two occasions, with Barty, who did win the grass major in 2022, joking that 'her husband wasn't available' to come and lay the turf, joking that she called Pat instead.
They then revealed what trade they'd choose if they went on to work in the construction industry.
Barty said: 'Probably something in landscaping. I love being outside. I wouldn't trust myself to look after something structurally inside of a home but can look after a plant.'
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