It’s not just his successes and achievements that make Roger Federer the most popular tennis player in the world till date. He also can blend with people from any corner of the world, adhering to their requests, and putting a smile on everyone’s faces. This is exactly what Federer did in 2019 during an exhibition match against Alexander Zverev.
The exhibition match was part of the Latin America tour and it took place in Argentina. Other stops on the tour were Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico.
Although Alexander Zverev won the match 7-6, 7-6 in Buenos Aires, Roger Federer stole the show mid-way into the game. A tweet sharing a 20-second clip from that moment in the game when Federer listened to a fan’s request and entertained everyone, is going viral.
So cute.
A fan asked Federer to stand still so he can take a good picture.
— Figen (@TheFigen_) June 4, 2024
Here’s how a few fans reacted to the post:
The Legend pic.twitter.com/nZgdTYsGBr
— This Video Shocks (@ThisVideoShocks) June 4, 2024
He was the best player in the history of Tennis pic.twitter.com/wDFiOdqYXQ
— Hzq. (@TheGoodSoulHZQ) June 4, 2024
I just love this pic of Roger Federer with this little fan here ❤❤
After all these years he is still the softest and the kindest athlete in the world ❤ pic.twitter.com/5WkxnywAXw
— The Random Guy (@RandomTheGuy_) June 4, 2024
This clip will go down in tennis historypic.twitter.com/oPJ7COsxbc
— Mirthful Moments (@moment_mirthful) June 5, 2024
It is hard enough to concentrate on the game, and therefore one could understand if and when players get annoyed at fans’ unnecessary and bizarre requests from the stands. But Roger Federer thought it would be okay to accept one, since it was an exhibition match and these are occasions when fans are to be entertained even more by the players in action.
Roger Federer posed as if he were to play various shots. Just like a model in a photo shoot, Federer gave multiple poses while asking for validation from the fan rather sweetly and comically. It was all done in good humor and was typical of Federer. Everybody in the crowd were left in splits and applauded the Swiss legend for being such a sport.
The video has gone viral at a time when Federer is gearing up for the release of his documentary, ‘Federer – Twelve Final Days’ on Amazon Prime on June 20, 2024 across the world. It’s trailer was released recently and the superstar has commented that it is stressing him out so much, showing how much it means to him.
Roger Federer has a profound impact on many and just getting to play him in such exhibition matches, like the one in 2019, proved to be extremely beneficial for Alexander Zverev.
How Alexander Zverev Became a Global Tennis Star by Playing Roger Federer
In 2019, Roger Federer was aged 38 but was still playing some incredible tennis. On the other hand, Alexander Zverev was just an up-and-coming tennis player.
The German player was ranked 99th in the world at the time and had a lot to prove. Hence, when he beat Roger Federer in the exhibition match, Alexander Zverev was lauded and considered as the future of the sport.
That year, Zverev also finished as the finalist of the Shanghai Masters. Although he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the final, he beat the World No.3 Roger Federer again in the semifinals. All these wins were crucial in shaping Zverev’s career.
Today, Alexander Zverev is one of the 4 semifinalists at the French Open 2024. He has made it to 4 back-to-back semifinals at the clay court Grand Slam.
Zverev will play Casper Ruud in the semifinals on Friday and if the German wins, he could play either Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner in the finals. This time, ‘Sascha’ is the most experienced out of the 4 semifinalists and has a golden opportunity to win the first Grand Slam of his career.
