Other than the 2010 World Cup, there can be no greater sport event in our city than the Charity Tennis match between two tennis icons Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, to be held at Cape Town Stadium on Friday 7 February 2020 at 20h00. The tourism and PR benefits for Cape Town are massive, enhanced by the fact that Roger Federer has never played on African soil, despite his South African roots! Trevor Noah and Bill Gates will feature on the tennis court as well, adding extra international attention to the  event. The event is expected to raise more than $1 million. 

I had only heard about THE Match this week, its charity beneficiaries described as ‘children’s education in Africa’, a Roger Federer Foundation charity project. One hopes that a substantial part of the monies raised will be donated to education in our country. What great sportsmanship by Nadal to be participating in this charitable but no doubt hard-fought tennis match.

A media statement by the Roger Federer Foundation explains that this is the sixth charity event raising funds for the Foundation, but the first to be played in Africa: 

‘20-time Grand Slam Champion Roger Federer will play his first-ever match in Sub-Saharan Africa in Cape Town on Friday, February 7, 2020 at 8 p.m. Federer’s opponent will be 18-time Grand Slam Champion and rival Rafael Nadal.

The match will be played to support children’s education in Africa. The Match will be the 6th edition of this event, but the first to be played in Africa. The spectacular arena on the Atlantic coast has a seating capacity of more than 50’000 people and will be the perfect venue to attempt to also set a new world record for the most spectators to watch a tennis match. As a curtain raiser fans will be treated to a celebrity- pro doubles match between Roger Federer & Bill Gates vs Rafael Nadal and Trevor Noah.

“This Match in Africa is a dream comes true,” said Federer. “I will play in my mother’s home country against my toughest rival and friend Rafa Nadal. We share not only the love for tennis but also for the good cause of giving children a better start in education and in life. I feel privileged to have other leading philanthropists on board to entertain millions of people in the stadium and on TV. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime moment for my family and I.”

Rafael Nadal said: “Roger and I have shared so many magical moments on and off the court. Travelling with him to Cape Town and playing for the benefit of children is something I am very excited about. It will be my first time in the region with Roger as a tour guide – that will be fun.”

The Match in Africa 6 – Cape Town is presented in partnership with Rolex and Credit Suisse.

Information regarding ticket sales will be communicated at a later date, with tickets going on sale in early September. The tickets will be priced to ensure the match is accessible to as many fans as possible. All net proceeds will be benefiting the Roger Federer Foundation’s programs in the region.

About the Roger Federer Foundation:

For more than fifteen years the Roger Federer Foundation has been engaging in charitable programs in Africa and Switzerland giving children a good start in education. Over one million children have benefitted from the interventions. The foundation only works with carefully selected local organizations in long-term partnerships and seeks to bring about systemic change and have a sustainable impact. It aims therefore to enable and empower the local population to assume responsibility for finding solutions to problems while also determining the content, organization and finances of these solutions. The Foundation is running School Readiness Initiatives in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Switzerland at a cost over $8 million annually reaching more than 2,000 primary schools and preschools.

For more information on the Roger Federer Foundation please visit:https://www.rogerfedererfoundation.org/en/home’

 

Roger Federer’s mother Lynette is South African. Federer said about playing on African soil for the first time, according to Daily Maverick: 

‘I don’t know what took me so long, to be quite honest,” Federer said about the Match in Africa during the recent Australian Open. “I said, ‘It’s not possible that I’m on tour for 20 years, I’ve become the player that I am, and I’ve never played in South Africa It’s just not OK.’ I couldn’t live with myself if that happened. You know how it is; life on tour sometimes is what it is. I couldn’t be more excited now that it’s finally happening. I hope I’m going to be fine to play; I believe I am, but we’ll see. Also, that Rafa is willing to do it is exciting, of course. I know my parents are very happy, very proud, as well. I’m sure it’s going to be very, very special for me on many levels to play there.” 

 

All tickets for the Match on Friday are sold out, other than the VIP tickets, said to be going for R50000 a piece! 

Just based on the charity aspect, and the PR benefit for Cape Town, Roger Federer deserves to win!

 

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein