Roger Federer made a promise to a young fan in 2017. He fulfilled it in the sweetest way.
Imagine having your sports idol surprise you like this.

Roger Federer gave a young tennis player the surprise of a lifetime.
Most kids who play a sport have a favorite player they look up to, but most kids don’t get the chance to meet their idol face to face, much less have the gumption to challenge them to a competition.
In 2017, a 6-year-old boy named Izyan Ahmad (better known by his nickname, Zizou) had the opportunity to talk to tennis great Roger Federer at a press conference at the U.S. Open. Zizou asked the tennis great the cutest question: “Hi, Mr. Federer. Can you please continue to play for eight, nine years so that I can play you when I go pro?” Federer said yes. “Is that a promise?” Zizou prodded. “Pinky promise,” Roger responded with a huge grin.
It was a sweet encounter, but one most wouldn’t expect to go beyond a cute viral moment.
Fast forward to 2022. Zizou is now 11 years old and has ranked as the No. 1 player under age 12 in the U.S in both singles and doubles. He serves as Eastern ambassador for the U.S. Tennis Association and is clearly on his way to a successful tennis career.
In a special surprise orchestrated by Federer and his sponsor Barilla, Zizou had the best day of his life (so far) in Zurich, Switzerland. Zizou's coach accompanied him to Europe, allegedly for a training event. As they sat down to eat together, the waiter told them his boss was a huge fan of his and wanted to meet him.
Zizou was surprised but thrilled when the woman came to the table to take a picture with him and revealed a T-shirt with his face on it. Meanwhile, Roger Federer watched giddily from behind the scenes, grinning from ear to ear at Zizou getting the star treatment.
Suddenly, voices start chanting "Zizou! Zizou!" and the young man turns toward them. "What the…" he says, confused about what's happening.
The chanting and clapping were coming from the tennis court, where Zizou was led to receive the surprise of a lifetime.
Watch:
How delightful is that?
Zizou shared the video and his thoughts about the day on Instagram while wishing Federer a happy birthday on August 8.
“When the GOAT makes a promise, he keeps it! That’s what makes him such an idol! We spent half a day with him, but his humility, grace, smiling personality, ability to make everyone around him instantly comfortable, magnifies his persona and shows me that you cannot be a great sportsman unless you are a great person first. 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!”
Definitely a day this young man will never forget. He may not have gone pro just yet, but with this kind of dedication and support, he's surely on his way.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.