Seven-year-old Ahmed commits to Federer; 15-year-old now competing in Indian Wells | ATP Tour
Indian Wells
Seven-year-old Ahmed committed to Federer; now 15, he’s competing in Indian Wells
Ahmed reflects on training at John McEnroe Academy
March 2, 2026
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‘Zizou’ Ahmed, who made a promise to Roger Federer at a press conference, will make his ATP Tour qualifying debut in Indian Wells.
Andrew Eikenholz
At the 2017 U.S. Open, 7-year-old Izyan Ahmed, known as “Zizou,” got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask Roger Federer a question during a press conference. After jokingly asking why people call Federer the goat, the American got down to business.
“You’re the most consistent player ever. Can you keep playing for eight or nine years so I can compete against you when I turn pro?”
“I’ll make sure maybe I come back to you,” Federer replied with a smile.
“Is this a promise?” Ahmed asked.
“Almost,” Federer said after a pause. “Almost one. Pinky promise.”
Little did the former PIF ATP No. 1 player know that eight and a half years later, Ahmed would be competing at the BNP Paribas Open. Ahmed, now 15, is competing in the qualifying rounds of the ATP Masters 1000 event. The wild card player will face third seed Thiago Agustin Tirant on Monday.
“I’m very grateful and I will do my best to make the most of this opportunity,” said Ahmed, a junior ranked No. 130 in the world. “To be able to experience this at such a young age and see all the pros and play with them, it’s obviously amazing.”
Although Ahmed was unable to play Federer, the memory of the 2017 press conference still haunts him and was circulated on social media before the match.
“He’s been my favorite person ever since I was a kid, so I thought hard about what I wanted to ask him. I didn’t want to ask a boring question or something that he might have answered a lot of, so I tried to come up with something a little original,” Ahmed said. “So I came up with this funny joke. It wasn’t that funny, but for a seven-year-old, it was kind of funny.
“Then my second follow-up question was if he was going to stay in eight or nine years and let me go pro. He said, ‘I’ll think about it.’ And then my mom was right next to me, whispering to me, ‘Ask him if it’s a pinky promise’ … and that question got cut. So I guess at that moment, I have my mom to thank.”
Five years later, in 2022, Ahmed faced Federer in Switzerland. It remains a bright spot for young Americans. But even so, Indian Wells is quite far away, both literally and figuratively.
“Obviously, that experience was pretty surreal and that particular segment was unlikely to be what it was. The opportunity was unbelievable again. But I think, for me, I worked a lot harder for this opportunity. Obviously, I still got this crazy opportunity, but I really played and worked hard for the opportunity,” Ahmed said. “That, even though it’s 90 percent luck, 10 percent luck, I feel like I’ve done enough for them to be able to think about me. So I feel like that’s especially important and I’m trying my best to make the most of it.”
Fans are familiar with Ahmed’s interactions with Federer. But what they may not realize is that the New Jersey resident has been training at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy on Randall’s Island, New York, since he was six years old.
“He’s out there every day. If I see him on the wall, he stops. We talk. We play ball all the time. He’s very involved, which I’m very grateful for. He’s a great guy,” Ahmed said. “He doesn’t have to take time out of his day to give me advice and compete with me. He’ll watch me, he’ll come to the gym and watch me work out and stuff like that. He’s a super cool guy, very calm. He’s very calm off the court and very calm on the court. I like him a lot.
“I really respect him and appreciate everything he has done for me. I wouldn’t be here without his academy.”
