Federer, 36, was a ball boy for the Michael Stich v Stefan Edberg final in 1993 in Basel – and he hasn’t forgotten his roots.
He has sat down to eat pizza with them in the past and he is poised to again in 2017.
Roger 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.
ROGER FEDERER: YOU HAVE TO SEE THESE PICS OF FEDERER AS A KID BALL BOY
“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.
“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 ball boys 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 ball boy too because at heart, I’ll always be a ballboy.”
On being a ball boy in his hometown, he said: “It’s a great memory for me. I loved being a ball boy 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.”
Federer is set to play for Benoit Paire in the second round after downing Frances Tiafoe in round one.