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Two Years After Roger Federer’s ‘Tourist Guide’ Crossover With Springbok Legend, Mother Lynette Shares a Moment With Him Following South Africa’s Rugby World Cup Glory

Published 10/23/2023, 8:06 AM EDT

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Roger Federer & Siya Kolisi are birds of the same feather. Both of them have had a huge impact on and off the field. They are global icons of their sports and an inspiration to many. But beyond that, Siya and Federer both also have a strong connection with the ‘Rainbow Nation‘. The former is a South African professional rugby union player, presently captaining the national team of South Africa. But what about Federer?

Few know that Roger Federer has deep-rooted ties with South Africa, through his mother Lynette. She is from Kempton Park, Gauteng in South Africa. Federer even holds South African citizenship, and the entire Federer family roots for the South African National Rugby Union team in the World Cup. Recently, the Springboks clinched a victory over England by a close margin (16-15) to book a place in the finals. Unsurprisingly, that led to some fun celebrations in Federer camp.

Roger Federer’s mum captures the winning moment with South African Rugby legend Siya Kolisi

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The battle which looked so near for the Brits turned out to be too far. Now, can the South Africans take the lead over the Kiwis? Both of them have three titles each. They will now face each other in the Grand Final at Stade de France on October 28. We surely know which team Federer will root for.

Even before the World Cup, the Swiss Maestro sent a message to his friend Siya and wished him the best for the tournament. He even asked him to visit Switzerland and mentioned how he wouldn’t mind being his Uber driver yet again. A funny incident had happened in Switzerland when they last met each other. We’ll find it out later.

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Now, after the win against England in the semis, both families yet again found themselves together in France. Lynette Federer was present in the stadium with the wife and children of Siya Kolisi to witness the hard-earned victory of her team. 

However, before Federer’s mother met Kolisi, the legendary sports figures had met each other earlier in 2020. But that time, it was the clash of champions as Rafael Nadal joined them to attend an exhibition match- ‘Match In Africa‘ in Cape Town Stadium. Seeing Roger Federer in Cape Town was a dream come true moment for 71-year-old Lynette Federer.

When Siya Kolisi & Roger Federer met for the first time

The Federer and Kolisi family came close to each other in 2021 when Kolisi made a trip to Switzerland and Federer became his tour guide then. “Anyone need a tourist guide? I found a Springbok roaming the streets of Zurich What a pleasure to see you Siya“, tweeted the Swiss Maestro, along with posting pictures of his parents and Siya. Since then, they have built a deep and long-lasting connection between the families.

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Both Siya and Federer have a good connection not only in their fields but across all sports. They are popular figures around the world. Grabbing the popularity with both hands, they now look to contribute back to the community. Siya Kolisi has had a great impact in South Africa and even launched the Kolisi Foundation in 2020, along with his wife. The Foundation aims to eradicate the inequalities in the ‘Rainbow Nation‘.

Similarly, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has a foundation that looks after the education of African children. Africa has been plagued with poverty, malnutrition, lack of education facilities, climate change, political instability, diseases, and many more issues. The challenges are plenty for the Africans, but it takes leaders to inspire people for a better cause. Both Siya Kolisi and Roger Federer are no less than true leaders.

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Can Kolisi lead South Africa to their 4th title? Only time will tell. But Springboks would surely want the champion aura from their biggest supporter, Roger Federer.

WATCH THIS STORY: After Skipping Event That Gave Her a Final Chance at Glory, Venus Williams Sticks to America as She Announces Her Tennis Comeback

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Written by:

Sayantan Roy

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Sayantan Roy is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports. He has been following tennis for almost 17 years. His sheer love and enthusiasm for the racket sport has been a major influence in him wanting to build a career in sports journalism.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas