A rock from the summit of Mount Everest was gifted by Jamling Tenzing Norgay to tennis legend Roger Federer, who reciprocated the gesture by presenting a signed racquet to the climber.
Jamling is the son of Tenzing Norgay, the first man to climb the highest peak on Earth. Jamling had collected the rock from atop Everest when he had scaled it in 1996. The Everester decided to gift the rock during his meeting with Roger in the United States last Friday.
“I wanted to meet him for some work, but then it was very difficult to get Federer’s appointment. When he agreed to meet me during the Laver Cup tournament in San Francisco, I decided to gift him a rock that I had brought from Everest,” Jamling told The Telegraph over the phone from the US.
Jamling gifted the rock, weighing about 200 grams, to the Swiss legend.
In 1996, Jamling brought a few loose rocks from Everest and gave many of them to a few of his family members, friends and sponsors of his Everest expedition. “I just have one or two pieces left with me now,” said Jamling.
In an unexpected move, Roger reciprocated Jamling’s gesture by gifting a signed racquet to the mountaineer. “Work on your forehand,” Roger told Jamling while handing over the racquet to the climber.
When Jamling nodded that he played tennis, Roger added: “You do? Please try it (with the gifted racquet).”
“I was very thrilled when he presented the racquet to me,” said Jamling.
The Everester invited Roger to the Himalayas, which “he has never visited,” and to Darjeeling. “Well, he did say that he would come,” said Jamling.
The two also watched the eighth edition of the Laver Cup together at Chase Centre in San Francisco on Friday.
The men’s tournament between Europe and the Rest of the World was started by Roger’s management company, TEAM8, Brazilian businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann and Tennis Australia.
The rest of the world’s team was led by another tennis legend, Andre Agassi, while the European team was led by Yannick Noah. Agassi’s team lifted the cup this year at the end of the three-day tournament.
“Even Rod Laver was present at the tournament, and it was a privilege to meet him,” said Jamling.
Rod Laver, 87, is another Australian tennis legend who was ranked number 1 for five years from 1965 to 1969 and also won all the Grand Slams in one calendar year in 1962.
The US Open, Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon are the Grand Slams.