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TENNIS TOWN — Being an elite athlete is a serious business with its years of non-stop training and tournaments, so it’s probably a relief for athletes to participate in events that don’t require the standard “giving 110 percent” in sports.
Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov played an exhibition game on Tuesday at Madison Square Gardens. And while there was plenty of good play and a proper score was kept, the exhibition is traditionally home to shenanigans, including trash talk, trick shots and pulling people from the crowd to play.
The 2013 exhibition had Ben Stiller and a small girl playing doubles with Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro. This year the fun came in the form of Dimitrov pulling a boy from the crowd to volley alone with Federer.
The boy had obviously played before, and he hustled to return Federer’s shots — and that’s when it happened.
Federer was crowding the net when the boy hit a perfect lob over Federer's head that landed just inside the back line to give the boy the point, much to the delight of the crowd.
Yes, the boy was more than likely a pre-picked ringer, and yes, Federer was not hitting 100 mph shots back at the boy, of course. But it’s still got to feel a little… not good to lose that point, especially when the chair ump takes a crack at you.
Ringer or no, no matter where that boy’s athletic career takes him, he will forever have the story of the time he beat Federer. There’s only a handful of people in the entire world who can say that.
