If there is one tennis player who understands ball kids more than any other player on the circuit, it is Roger Federer. The Swiss Maestro started his career from the bottom by being a ball kid. His experience has indeed influenced Federer’s behavior around ball kids during his time on the ATP Tour. Recently, he thanked an infamous ball kid who cheered for Federer from behind the scenes during the finals of the 2011 French Open against Rafael Nadal.

The incident became the talk of the town as Federer struggled to get past the ‘King of Clay’. Nonetheless, Federer has once again shown his love for the ball kids who still cheer for him.

Roger Federer sends a heartfelt message to ball kids 

The Swiss Maestro has had a glorious career on the court, where he amassed 20 Grand Slam titles. And when he had a tough time against Rafael Nadal in the finals of the French Open in 2011, his fans stood by him. One such fan was a ball kid, Kenza Del, who was sitting near the net.

However, when she saw Federer struggling against Nadal, she covertly cheered for her idol. She knew that it was forbidden and was against the rules, but she wanted to cheer for Federer in some way or the other. So, she wrote “Allez Roger” on the clay court, and a photographer took a picture of it. Later, the photographer sent the picture to Federer’s agent.

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Consequently, Federer thanked her a few days after the match by gifting her the T-shirt he wore during that final. Once again, as the former ball kid shared her story on Instagram, he sent a heartfelt message to all the ball kids around the world. He took to his Instagram story and stated, “Ball kids. Thanks for all your support.” 

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Del detailed watching him struggle along with the other ball kid who was with her. They both were having a hard time watching him trying to overcome the 14-time French Open champion. So, a secret cheer was sent to Federer.

What does the ball kid wish for now?

Being able to receive such a gift is a dream come true for every tennis enthusiast. And Kenza Del is living that dream. However, she wants to thank the person behind it all.

Del wishes to meet the photographer who took the picture at the right time and led her to get such a precious gift.

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Federer started his career in tennis from being a ball kid and that is the reason he treasures ball kids a lot. There are a lot of ball kids that look up to him and aspire to lead a glorious career as he did.