"It is impossible not to love Roger Federer, unique and unrepeatable!" - Tennis fans react to Roger Federer keeping his promise to a young kid

An ad film featuring Roger Federer brought smiles to the faces of many fans, who lauded the Swiss tennis great for his generosity and spirit. He lived up to a promise he made to young tennis player five years ago, much to the surprise and delight of the youngster who will remember the moment for a long, long time.

In a video shot by Italian food company Barilla, a flashback moment to the 2017 US Open showed young Izyan Ahmad requesting the Swiss player to play on for a few more years so he could play him in a professional match one day. Now 11 years old, Ahmad is one of the top players on the junior circuit and was recently in Zurich for a round of training. There, he was surprised by his idol.

Barilla and the Swiss player set up the perfect plan where Ahmad, nicknamed 'Zizou', was greeted by fans before the 20-time Grand Slam champion himself came out of hiding to keep his promise of playing a match with Ahmad. Reacting to the video on Twitter on the occasion of the Swiss player's 41st birthday, fans praised Roger Federer for his gesture.

"It is impossible not to love Roger Federer... Unique and unrepeatable!" said a reaction on Twitter.

At first, Ahmad could not believe that the 41-year-old tennis great was standing right in front of him. They played a few rallies, with Federer complimenting and advising Ahmad while playing.

Meanwhile, another fan expressed how the Swiss player continues to inspire generations around the world.

"This is so wonderful. I remember watching Roger Federer play his very first game at Wimbledon and thought then that he was very special. More than 20 years later he continues to inspire countless millions with his grace, his charm and his extraordinary generosity," said the tweet.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to the video:

"When the GOAT makes a promise, he keeps it! That’s what makes him such an idol" - Youngster Izyan Ahmad thanks Roger Federer

Day Seven: The Championships - Wimbledon 2022

While young Izyan Ahmad was probably too overwhelmed to completely come to terms with Federer's gesture, he later thanked the Swiss great for keeping his 'pinky promise.' Ahmad called it the 'best day of his life' in a post on Twitter.

"When the GOAT makes a promise, he keeps it! That’s what makes him such an idol! Thank you Mr. Federer, for the best day of my life, for these memories and I am forever grateful that you kept your pinky promise!” HAPPY BIRTHDAY G.O.A.T!" he wrote.

Back in 2017, before he requested the eight-time Wimbledon champion for a future match, Ahmad asked the Swiss why he is called the 'GOAT' despite Switzerland not having an abundance of livestock, much to the amusement of the press room.

On the tennis front, Federer is currently training for his comeback to tennis, which begins with the Laver Cup in late September. He is also scheduled to play in the Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel in October, which will be his first ATP points tournament since Wimbledon 2021.