Ball kid recalls Roger Federer’s touching gesture moments after losing to Rafael Nadal in the 2011 French Open final

In the 2011 French Open final, Roger Federer lost to his rival Rafael Nadal, but he managed to bring happiness to one of the ball kids named Kenza Del, who was a fan of Federer. Kenza Del did something nice for Federer, which he acknowledged and rewarded her with a special gift as a token of gratitude.

In the final match of the Roland Garros tournament, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer with a score of 7-5, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-1, marking Federer’s fifth consecutive loss to Nadal at this event. Kenza Del, who served as a ball kid for the final, expressed her support for Federer by writing ‘Allez Roger’ on the court, and a picture capturing the moment became popular on social media.

The image of Kenza Del’s supportive message for Federer became so widespread that it eventually caught Federer’s attention. Federer expressed his gratitude to Del by sending her a gift as a token of appreciation for her support during his difficult defeat. In a recent interview with RG Ballos, Del explained that even though Federer faced a challenging moment, she felt compelled to write ‘Allez Roger’ as a gesture of encouragement.

She also said “But a picture was taken by a photographer who took it at the right time. He happened to know Roger’s agent and sent him the picture. I guess Roger liked it, so he decided to thank me by sending me a little gift a few weeks later.” Kenza Del also expressed her desire to have the opportunity to meet and thank the photographer who captured the memorable moment that brought her joy during the 2011 French Open final.

Also Read: F1 star George Russell spotted cheering Novak Djokovic along with the Serb’s family in Monte Carlo

Alexander Zverev acknowledges impressive injury comebacks of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Alexander Zverev, who was once ranked second in the world, recently spoke about the remarkable comebacks of tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer after they suffered major injuries. Zverev himself suffered an ankle injury during the 2022 French Open semifinal against Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles. Zverev was forced to retire after the second set when he was behind in the game with a score of 7-6(8), 6-6. This unfortunate incident ended his chance of winning his first Major and led to a prolonged period of injury recovery.

After recovering from his injury, the 25-year-old Alexander Zverev resumed his tennis career in the ongoing 2023 season, participating in several tournaments including the Australian Open, Rotterdam Open, Qatar Open, Dubai Tennis Championships, Indian Wells Masters, and Miami Open. However, Zverev has struggled to perform at his previous level since his injury, with his only notable achievement reaching the semi-finals in Dubai.

In a recent interview with Eurosport, Alexander Zverev shared his views on Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s exceptional ability to win tournaments soon after their return from injury, which they have consistently demonstrated over the past 20 years. Zverev expressed his admiration for their unique talent, stating that both Nadal and Federer are very different from other players. According to Zverev, he is unsure how they manage to achieve such impressive results, but he recognizes that they have been doing so for two decades.

In case you missed it:

• Patrick Mouratoglou ‘uncertain’ about Rafael Nadal’s fate at Roland Garros amidst injury woes
• Andy Murray labels the Wimbledon ban debates as distraction from the actual cause, sympathizes with the AELTC

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