Roger Federer agrees to play a match with 2 Irish lads after being tagged in their Instagram video
Two young tennis fans from the town of Ashbourne, Ireland could turn their dream of playing tennis with Roger Federer into reality very soon.
Jamie Duff and Oliver White, two 21-year-old lads who took up tennis during the lockdown, recently posted an Instagram video of themselves playing on their local courts. More importantly, they also tagged Roger Federer in the post, which earned a response from the 20-time Grand Slam champion himself.
"Great skills - would love to come and play you guys after lockdown," Roger Federer said.
Encouraged by Roger Federer's comment, the plucked up the courage to send a voice note to the eight-time Wimbledon champion, asking him to visit Ireland for a match. Little did they know that the Swiss legend would actually take them up on their offer.
Roger Federer responded with his own voice note, giving them some tips on their tennis and asking the lads to get in touch with his agents.
"I loved the video, I thought it was great," Roger Federer said in his message. "The tennis is looking good but maybe a bit of work needed with the footwork. I think we should definitely do something with my charity, send an email to my agent and we'll sort something out."
We've always looked up to the greats such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal: Jamie Duff
Like millions of tennis fans across the world, Jamie Duff and Oliver White are huge fans of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - two of the biggest legends in the game. In an interview with Lovin Dublin, Jamie Duff spoke about how surreal the idea of playing a game with the Swiss maestro is.
"We have always looked up to the greats such as Rafael Nadal and of course Roger Federer, but having Federer reply to us and now organising a game with him is just unfathomable. We're looking forward to seeing where this takes us," Jamie Duff stated.
The Roger Federer Foundation supports educational projects located in southern Africa and Switzerland. The programs in Africa are geared towards improving the quality of early learning and basic education, while those in Switzerland are focused on the promotion of extra-curricular activities for children affected by poverty.
Roger Federer has not competed on the tour since last January after undergoing double-knee surgery, but he has kept himself busy with his charity and his other business interests. The Swiss has pulled out of next month's Australian Open, and is expected to make his comeback at one of the ATP events in in March.