"He was just supposed to come and say hi but he's a perfect human being and talked to me for a while" - When Roger Federer made a cancer-stricken fan's day by hosting her at Wimbledon
Roger Federer has long been considered one of the nicest players off the tennis court, a statement the Swiss confirmed for the umpteenth time in 2013. The 20-time Grand Slam champion made Beatriz Tinoco, a 17-year-old fan of his who had struggled with cancer for two years, the happiest person in the world by hosting her at the All England Club.
When approached by the Make-A-Wish foundation during her time battling the disease, Tinoco put forth a request to meet the former World No. 1 at his favorite tournament, the Wimbledon Championships. The wish was granted by Federer, who went above and beyond to make it a memorable experience for her.
Firstly, the fact that he had agreed to the request was conveyed to Tinoco through a pre-recorded video message. The clip showed a replay of his championship point against Andy Murray in the 2012 edition, followed by an invitation to SW19 from the 40-year-old himself.
"Hi Beatriz, I heard you're a big fan of mine, so I'm inviting you with your family to come watch me play at Wimbledon. Go pack your bags, have a safe trip, and I'll see you there," the message went.
Y aparece Roger diciendo 'Hola Beatriz, me han contado que eres una gran fan así que te invito a ti y a tu familia a venir a verme en Wimbledon, te veré allí", relata la joven. https://t.co/3IRdewJJQd
When the 17-year-old turned up in London, she was originally scheduled to just meet the Swiss for a few moments. The World No. 27, however, took it upon himself to extend his fan's stay and make the holiday last an entire weekend.
The American recounted the experience in a series of tweets (archived here), recalling how the 20-time Grand Slam champion allowed her to come watch him practice with former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt. After spending a good quarter of an hour making conversation with Tinoco, the Swiss asked her to change into her tennis clothes so that they could hit together.
El suizo mostró toda su bondad y su buena predisposición para con su fan, y no solo se quedó charlando con ella unos minutos, sino que además le dio un tour por el All England Club, la hizo presenciar una de sus conferencias de prensa y peloteó con ella tras un entrenamiento. https://t.co/tskzCtET16
The World No. 27 even went on to give her one of his own racquets after realizing that she did not have one. It was followed by a tour of the stands with Federer acting as her guide and she also got to sit in on his press conference before the tournament.
Just before the end of the weekend, the 20-time Grand Slam champion spent a long time chatting with TInoco and her family despite protests from his manager.
Me dijo que yo había pasado por muchas cosas y me abrazó muy fuerte, así que me puse a llorar mucho en su hombro. Cuando finalmente se marchó me volví hacia él y estaba también un poco emocionado. Le di las gracias y luego se fue". https://t.co/mCz3IhxKNR
The American also added that Roger Federer bade farewell to her with a warm hug, whispering in her ears that she had "gone through a lot." Unable to control her emotions at this point, the 17-year-old burst into tears, prompting the former World No. 1 to console her.
"We talked for about 10-15 minutes (which I was told later he wasn't supposed to do. He was just supposed to come and say hi and then go to practice but he's a perfect human being and talked to me for a while!" Tinoko said.
"He would have stayed there the whole day, just talking to us. He stayed a lot more than he had to for sure. He went around the table hugging my mom, my dad and my sister, and then it was my turn. He told me I had been through a lot and hugged me really hard and I just started crying so so so much in his shoulder."
ROGER FEDERER, UN SEÑOR DENTRO Y FUERA DE LA CANCHA. https://t.co/n6NuPerWwF
Roger Federer did not have the best of tournaments at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships
On the tennis court, though, Roger Federer had a tournament to forget at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. Seeded third, the defending champion suffered a shock defeat in the second round against Sergiy Stakhovsky in four sets.
Sergiy Stakhovsky defeated Roger Federer in 2013 Wimbledon.
9 years later he is wearing bullet proof vest and holding a gun 💪
We wish Sergiy Stakhovsky and everyone stays safe during these difficult times 👏
#SergiyStakhovsky #Tennis #Ukraine #Russia #RussiaUkraineConflict https://t.co/vSPB39amD9
The loss marked his earliest-ever exit from SW19 since 2002 and the first time since the 2004 French Open that he did not reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. It was also the first time Federer lost to a player ranked outside the top 100 since a defeat against Richard Gasquet at the 2005 Monte-Carlo Masters.