Roger Federer: "I used to chase the players for autographs"

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Roger Federer had to work hard before he got to success. When he was younger, the Swiss champion worked for a long time as a ball boy in the Basel tournament.

The ATP stop for a few weeks and the decision to freeze the ranking until June helped Roger Federer, an injured tennis player who would not have played these tournaments in any case. For the Swiss champion there was the risk of leaving the Top ten and instead, emergency permitting, he could fall on the grass season in the Top 4 in the world, only recently overcome by Dominic Thiem, but still close to the top of the ranking.

In a recent interview with ATP, the 20-time Slam champion remembered how he had even made a book with pictures of tennis players. “[I collected] a lot of the stickers as well. There was a year, I guess it was the beginning of the 90s when all the old tennis players were in [a book],” Federer said.

“It was about the tournaments, about the trophies, about the players, so I got to know them all. And then eventually also became a ball boy in my hometown event in Basel. I used to chase the players for autographs, which at the time was not a big deal, as the selfie didn’t exist. So those are my memories really from back then" - the former World number 1 added.

Federer on Wednesday revealed that he and his wife Mika have donated a sum of 1 million Swiss Francs to help the vulnerable families in Switzerland in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. "Our contribution is just a start. We hope that others might join in supporting more families in need. Together we can overcome this crisis. Stay healthy" - Roger wrote.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2UkWuDC

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