Roger Federer: Brilliant RARE PICS show star when he was a kid BALL BOY at Swiss Indoors
THESE are the brilliant rare pics that show Roger Federer as a 12-year-old ball boy at the Swiss Indoors.
Federer, 36, is bidding to win his hometown tournament for a record eighth time this week.
But his first experience on the big stage came far earlier - when he was a ball boy for the final between Michael Stich and Stefan Edberg in 1993.
Federer was shown footage of himself as a youngster ahead of his bid for glory this week.
He laughed: "There he is! Like it was yesterday.
"I can remember it of course. I did it for two years and it was Michael Stich, who is the tournament director of Hamburg now.
"It's a great memory for me. I loved being a ballboy here.
"It was great to be able to see the best players in the world first hand, how they'd prepare, sweat, how they'd deal with the pressure. It was a good moment for me.
"I'm glancing at the medal, here it comes. It's a souvenir for life. I still have them.
"I still get them from the ballboys and girls when I have pizza with them at the end of the tournament. They also give me a medal.
"I guess it still means I'll be a ballboy too because at heart, I'll always be a ballboy."
CLICK THROUGH THE GALLERY ABOVE TO SEE ROGER FEDERER AS A BALL BOY