Watch: When a Young Boy Defeated Roger Federer

Tennis players often consider their fans to be their biggest support, and they usually indulge in a number of fan-related activities. Be it fan interactions, meet-ups, or interacting with them on-court/off-court. The eternal fan favorite in the men’s game is, without a doubt, Roger Federer. 

One lucky fan got the opportunity of a lifetime during BNP Paribas Showdown 2015. A young boy, who was present in the audience, played the point of his life against the maestro, Roger Federer. He went on to beat Federer in that point, and now he’s one of the very few people with a positive head-to-head against him.  

The crowd had gathered to see their favorite players, Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov, take on each other. But it was the young fan who took the limelight that night.  

The Young Fan who lobbed Roger Federer

Dimitrov lost the first point. While he was getting ready to play the next point, the Bulgarian saw a kid with a tennis racquet sitting behind him. That was the moment Dimitrov called that kid to the court, offered his racquet, and told him to play against Roger Federer. 

A kid who had just come in as a fan entered the court like a confident player and got ready for the point. 

Federer started the point by serving to the kid. The boy returned the ball with a forehand, continuing the rally. Though Federer approached and played on the net after the 4th shot, it was the boy who took advantage of it, playing a lob against Federer. The lob dropped inside the baseline, making Federer lose the point. 

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Madison Square raised its collective voice, going gaga over the point. Even though Dimitrov went on to win the match, it was the kid who became the star that night. 

What happened in the game that day?  

On 11th March 2015, at Madison Square, the match started on an exciting note with Dimitrov winning the first set 6-2. However, the match changed gears when Roger Federer came into the game and took the second set, 6-1. 

It was an exhibition match, and both players were having fun moments during points. However, the two were still determined to win.

One set all, both players were playing their best tennis. It was Federer who broke first, taking a 2-1 on serve lead. Holding his serve, Federer went further, extending the lead to 3-1. Dimitrov then held his serve, taking the game to 3-2. 

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Federer, with a complete hold over the game, started serving in the 4th game and took the first point. Little did the Swiss know that a kid was coming to beat him on the next point. The kid might have broken Federer’s resolve as he went on to lose the third set, 5-7.