Tennis great Roger Federer kept his promise to a young fan and a video of the sweet gesture is now going viral. In 2017, a boy named Izyan Ahmad – a huge Federer fan – asked him an important question during a press conference.
“Can you please keep playing for eight, nine years so I can play you when I go pro?” asked the boy.
Federer replied “Yes”. “Is that a promise?” Ahmad asked again. “Pinky promises,” the Swiss said with a smile.
Ahmad, whose nickname is “Zizou” was delighted to hear this answer.
Five years later, his dream has come true in a special way.
“Zizou”, who is now a tennis player, was told that he was being sent to Zurich for training, but he had no idea that the whole thing was planned by Federer.
Video that is currently going viral shows the boy going to the tennis court with his coach to practice. A club employee approached him, saying that his manager was a big fan and wanted to click a selfie with Zizou.
The young man was taken aback by the request but agreed.
Just then, a woman arrives and reveals that she is wearing a t-shirt with Zizou’s face on it. As soon as a picture of the two was clicked, Zizou heard a group of children chanting his name.
This was again a big surprise for the young man, who didn’t realize that Federer was watching his every move.
The staff then took Zizou to the clay court and made a big reveal: “All the young people are watching you in the final match against a worthy opponent. Here is your surprise.”
He saw Federer walking towards him. Zizou’s emotions turned into disbelief and his eyes lit up. Zizou then regained his composure and saluted the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
Federer, 41, asked the boy if he was ready to play a quick match.
Both players exchanged some delicate shots, and Federer even admired the way Zizou played.
After the match ended, Federer and Zizou were seen enjoying two plates of pasta, but the score was not disclosed.
The event was organized in partnership with Italian food company Barilla. The video of the sweet meeting was posted by Barilla on her YouTube channel.
Promote
The company said Zizou is 11 years old and currently ranks number 1 in the US in the age group 12 and under in both singles and doubles.
Topics covered in this article
