But does Federer like tiramisu? In fact, as a child he didn't love him. Once an adult, however, he learned to appreciate it. «Since Roger travels a lot, he tells us he has it tasted in every restaurant in which he has been . Vittoria, 13, and Carola, 11, the young tennis players who, during the lockdown, made themselves known all over the world for the video (which obtained more than 9 million views) in which they dribbled on the roofs of Finale Ligure.

On 10 July the two girls, friends and training partners at the Tc Finale Ligure, have been invited to return to their terraces on the pretext of an interview on their viral video. And, instead, they found themselves in front of Roger Federer, who arrived by private jet at the Albenga Riviera Airport. The champion took them out for lunch to taste the pasta cooked by the chef of Academia Barilla Marcello Zaccaria told them about his childhood ("He showed us a video on the mobile phone in which he dribbles with his sister: he must have been 4-5 years old") and he was recommended to experience tennis with joy and fun. The champion also prepared gifts for the two young athletes: the racket with which he challenged the No. 1 in the world Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinal, an autographed t-shirt, cuffs, sweat bands, balls. The video of the meeting, The Rooftop Match – with Barilla's intuition, of which Federer is an ambassador, and who conceived the initiative – has become a commercial, which will be published in the coming days, but of which there is already some anticipation.

There is also a "behind the scenes".

«For me, the surprise started when I actually decided to go to Finale Ligure in person., Federer says, «He had also considered organizing the meeting in another place, then Barilla suggested that it would have been fantastic if I could have gone to the roofs where the girls had actually played. That day, their reaction to my arrival could not have been nicer, and more surprising. Personally, for me that was it a special moment in my career as a tennis player, in which I had the opportunity to surprise young fans like Carola and Vittoria ".