Roger Federer gifted a French Open ball girl his shirt from the 2011 French Open final after learning about the viral moment from the match. After ending Novak Djokovic‘s 43-match winning streak in the 2011 French Open semifinal, Federer took Nadal in the final.
Kenza Del, who was a ball girl during the 2011 French Open final, wrote on the clay “Allez Roger.” Federer didn’t notice that but the cameras did and it became a viral moment. Federer suffered a four-set defeat to Nadal in the 2011 French Open final but Del’s act melted his heart.
After the final, Federer sent Del a frame with the red shirt he wore during the final. Also, Federer autographed the frame.
Del on her viral Federer moment
“It was a tough moment for him. And I don’t know why but I decided to write Allez Roger,” Del said.
This week, the Roland Garros ball kids account posted about the Federer-Del story. “Merci Kenza [Thank you Kenza],” Federer wrote in the comment section.
Meanwhile, Del is grateful to the photographer who took the viral photo.
“I never got to meet the photographer, never got the chance to thank him. So, if he watches this video, if he hears me, I’ll be glad to thank him, because it’s all thanks to him,” Del said. Meanwhile, Federer is now enjoying his retirement days.
Recently, Federer starred in his third commercial for Swiss tourism. Belinda Bencic, the top-ranked Swiss female tennis player, loved Federer’s ad and said the Swiss tennis icon could become a movie star. “Oh my God, I feel like he’s an amazing actor.
I think soon we’re going to see him in a movie or something. I felt that was so much fun and when you’re a Swiss person, you exactly understand the humor behind it, you know how the train is on time, how you can never ride without a ticket.
It’s like the worst crime in Switzerland. No one ever does it. And it was really so much fun. I watched the whole video with a big smile on my face,” Bencic said on Tennis Channel.
