Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev wrapped up their Latin America tennis tour – a series of exhibition games that saw them play in Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and Ecuador – with another win for the 38-year-old Swiss over his younger rival.
The five-country tour saw the world No 3 and 7 played against each other in front of huge, houseful crowds across the big cities in America and indulge in some on and off-court antics, much to the delight of tennis fans all over.
In the process, they also created an unprecedented event in tennis with 42,517 people packed into the specially-erected arena in the Plaza de Toros in Mexico for what was dubbed ‘The Greatest Match.’ The attendance record has not been ratified by the International Tennis Federation as it was not an official game.
While the tour had a few blips – the match in Colombia was cancelled because of the curfew in Bogota after violence following massive demonstrations against President Ivan Duque while there was uncertainty in Chile, a country where sport has come to a halt for a month because of the social crisis that has left 23 dead and more than 2,000 injured – the fans were undeterred, turning up in large numbers to watch the Swiss and German pair play.
Players from the host countries, such as Juan Martin del Potro in Argentina, Fernando Gonzalez in Chile, and Nicolas Lapentti in Ecuador, also joined in.
But while the fans made the matches a huge success, what made the tour a truly memorable experience for tennis fans was the entertainment Federer and Zverev provided. The non-intense games were a chance for the players to unwind and have fun on the tennis court. They responded with gags, dances at the changeover and hilarious interactions with the crowd even when the match was on. This was Federer at his comic best.
In case you missed the week-long of enjoyment, here’s a look at the best moments from the tour.
When Federer paused mid-match so fans could take a perfect shot
When Maradona’s praise made Federer emotional
Playing an invisible point
Zverev had a lot to say whenever fans spoke to Federer during a match
Bonus: Federer dancing
In case anyone forgets how old Federer really is
Plenty of cute moments
Finally, the match results!
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