South-African singer Levy Sekgapane was touched and thrilled by the presence of Roger Federer’s parents, Lynette and Robert, for his show in Zurich on Sunday. The popular operatic tenor called Federer his idol, also sharing a picture of a present alongside an ‘RF cap’, probably gifted to Sekgapane by the Swiss tennis great’s parents.
In February 2020, Federer was joined by his greatest on-court rival and good friend Rafael Nadal for the ‘Match for Africa’ in Cape Town, a charity tennis event for the benefit of the Swiss maestro’s foundation. It was then that Sekgapane first met Lynette, who was born in South Africa, and Robert.
As the couple attended Sekgapane’s show in their hometown over the weekend, the singer was left “humbled.” He thanked them for attending his concert and expressed his admiration for the 20-time Grand Slam champion. “My close friends will tell you that Roger Federer is one of my biggest inspirations and my idol, I met his parents briefly a few years ago at the match for Africa in Cape Town, last night they came out to see my show in Zurich. I’m so humbled by this experience. Thank you Lynette and Robbie for coming to see our cenerentola,” Levy Sekgapane wrote on Instagram.
The Swiss superstar’s illustrious career was recently celebrated in Geneva, Switzerland, through a special portrait. The portrait, which eventually formed the former world No. 1’s face, was made up of 1,251 postcards, signifying his total career wins on the ATP tour.
Roger Federer, who retired from the pro tour at the 2022 Laver Cup in September, will be seen on tour this season, albeit in different roles. While he has already confirmed his presence for the 2023 Laver Cup in September in Vancouver, where he is expected to play the role of a mentor for Team Europe, he is also in talks to don the hat of a commentator/analyst for Wimbledon in July.
As per reports, the most celebrated men’s singles champion at Wimbledon in the Open Era could be part of the BBC’s coverage at SW19. His final ever singles match also came at Wimbledon, back in 2021, and he was also at the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam last year during the centennial celebrations on Centre Court.