Kid reporters always manage to liven up an interview, whether it’s at the NCAA Tournament, on The Tonight Show, or at the U.S. Open. On Tuesday, one youngster had a very pointed question for all-time tennis great Roger Federe.
He noted that Switzerland doesn’t have much livestock, prompting him to ask why everyone calls Federer the GOAT (which stands for Greatest of All Time).
Here’s Federer’s response:
“I don’t know. Some fans call me that. I don’t call myself that. Yeah, we have a lot of animals in Switzerland, and goats are part of the livestock we have over there, yes.”
Our young friend isn’t the first to make a pun between GOAT the acronym and goat the easily domesticated animal. The Phoenix Mercury honored WNBA all-time leading scorer Diana Taurasi with a petting zoo filled with goats. The Patriots held a similar celebration for Tom Brady a few weeks later.
The kid reporter then turned to a “serious question” relating to Federer’s longevity:
Kid: I have a serious question. You have been the most consistent player of all time. Can you please continue to play for eight, nine years so that I can play you when I go pro?
RF: If you make it on tour, I’ll make sure that maybe I’ll come back for you. OK?
Kid: Is that a promise?
RF: Almost. Almost a promise. Pinky promise.
I hope Federer knows that, by the origins of the pinky promise, one who breaks the promise must cut off their pinky. At least according to Wikipedia.
About Jesse Kramer
Jesse is a writer and editor for The Comeback. He has also worked for SI.com and runs The Catch and Shoot, a college basketball website based in Chicago. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Follow Jesse on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer.