Federer and Nadal beat the attendance record for a tennis match for a good cause

The previous record had been set in November 2019 in Mexico, with 42,517 people gathered in the arenas of Mexico to see the Swiss confront the German Alexander Zverev. This passage through the “plaza de toros” of Mexico was part of a lucrative tour for players in Latin America with matches in Chile, Argentina and Ecuador. For this meeting of excess in the Cape Town stadium usually devoted to rugby, the 3.5 million dollars (3.2 MEUR) of revenue will this time be donated to the Foundation that Federer set up 16 years ago years to support the education of children in six African countries: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe. The money was raised through "ticket sales, sponsors and a Foundation dinner where Bill Gates is also participating," said Federer.

This is the 6th “match for Africa” for the benefit of the Foundation, but it is the first time that it has been organized on the African continent. The previous ones, the first 10 years ago, had been organized in Europe or the United States. "I hope this record will be broken very quickly because it is good for tennis and the children the Foundation wants to help," said Federer after the meeting he anecdotally won 6-4, 3-6, 6 -3. “I hope we did the show and offered beautiful tennis, people also came to see this. We did our best, ”said Federer to the spectators. For the record, it was the Swiss who won in three rounds: 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

“It meant a lot to me to be here in South Africa. It goes beyond tennis ”,

"It's impossible to describe how we felt in front of such a large crowd," said a Nadal with a smile. “Thank you to Roger and his teams for organizing such a fantastic event. I will always be there for everything he organizes and what his Foundation does which helps children and promotes great values. ” “It meant a lot to me to be here in South Africa. It goes beyond tennis, "said Federer, whose mother, Lynette, is South African. In the filled stands where an ola was engaged, were visible signs "Welcome to Roger house". A double match with the billionaire American philanthropist and Trevor Noah, an American television host born in South Africa, opened the evening.

Earlier in the afternoon, Federer and Nadal had played tennis with children from the townships of Hout Bay, near Cape Town. During his stay in South Africa, Federer also met the captain of the Springboks world rugby champions in Japan, Siya Kolisi. “Her story is so powerful. He has an incredible opportunity to make a difference, ”said the Swiss. Kolisi was also a guest at the gala evening and was acclaimed when he entered the tennis court. He offered Federer a number 8 flocked Springbok jersey which he wears in selection, and with which the Swiss with South African roots warmed up.

Read also

• Federer-Nadal: 48,000 people expected for an XXL exhibition in Cape Town