With a sparkling look, she says she “was very lucky”. “Ballos”, understand ball collector, of Roland Garros for four years, Kenza Del was a regular at the Philippe-Chatrier court, which she walked on dozens of times, “more than some players”, laughs. She. In a video shared on Instagram, on an account dedicated to these young athletes, the young woman shared a nice anecdote about Roger Federer, whom she notably “picked up” during the final of the tournament in 2011, which pitted him against Rafael Nadal.
“I was a net catcher. At that time, we tended with my colleague at the net to make crabs on clay. It was something forbidden,” she smiles. “We were both Roger fans, and it was a bit of a tough moment for him in the game. I don’t know what came over me but I decided to write Go Roger “, she recalls, while the Swiss will finally bow 3 sets to 1, after 3h30 of play, giving Rafael Nadal his sixth title. At the time, the scene was immortalized by a photographer, Jacques Demarthon. “He took a picture of when I was in position, writing,” adds Kenza.
A signed jersey worn during the final
If this inscription is not noted during the meeting, the young teenager receives a nice surprise a few days later. “The photographer happened to know Federer’s agent, so he forwarded the photo to him. It must have made her happy, she supposes. So he thanked me, and he sent me a little present which I received at the end of June”. The Swiss then offered him “the jersey he had worn during the Roland Garros final, signed”.
An episode that the now retired has obviously not forgotten. “Thank you Kenza”, he wrote this Tuesday under the Instagram post, after having shared it himself, affixed with a “thank you all for your support”, intended for the “ball kids”. The young woman took the opportunity to appeal to the photographer. “I was never able to thank him, she regrets. If he watches this video and wants to say hi to me, I’ll thank him because it’s all thanks to him! “.