Alexandre Pato, former Brazilian football prodigy, recently shared a funny anecdote about one of his idols, the famous tennis player Roger Federer. The opportunity was given to him during a South American youth tournament held at Roland Garros in Brazil, where Pato was present.
Pato had the chance to meet Federer during his time at AC Milan, when both stars were sponsored by the same brand. They exchanged their respective jerseys, and Federer also gave Pato a signed racket. However, the young Brazilian was so eager to play with it that he immediately used it without having another racket.
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Unfortunately, during a match, he ended up losing Federer’s dedication on the racket. Since then, Pato has been trying to find this racket to get Federer to re-sign.
Hoje o dia foi de tênis 🎾❤️ pic.twitter.com/VLXyrZKEHm
— PATO (@Pato) April 2, 2024
Pato’s admiration for Federer
As Pato said: “I always loved tennis. When I was at Milan I was already sponsored by Nike and I met Federer, and I exchanged a national team jersey for a signed racket.”
Now 34 years old and still playing in Brazil, Pato has excellent memories of his meeting with Federer, whom he considers one of his greatest models.
Federer, with his legendary kindness, will surely know how to “repair” this memory if the opportunity presents itself.
