The tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal gathered 48,000 spectators this Friday in a charity match played at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town, a record attendance in this sport.
The match is part of ‘The Match in Africa’, an event organized by the Roger Federer Foundation.
Before the duel between the two giants, a doubles was played, with the computer entrepreneur Bill Gates accompanying Federer and the South African comedian Trevor Noah to Nadal.
Amid a festive atmosphere, Federer and Gates won 6-3.
«It is an incredible experience. I have spent an unforgettable couple of days. South Africa brings back good memories. I will never play in an environment like today, “said Nadal, present at the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in which Spain beat the Netherlands.
«Having my great rival and friend Rafa here is incredible. This game will remain etched in my memory. I know the tickets have been sold very quickly, “added Federer.
The previous record for attendance at a tennis match was 42,517 fans, when Federer himself faced German Alexander Zverev in another friendly in November in Mexico City, on a tour that both players made in South America, with stops also in Chile. , Argentina and Ecuador.
– Kolusi, invited to the party –
Earlier in the week Federer, whose mother Lyenette is South African, said he hoped to raise at least $ 1 million for his foundation, which promotes education in six African countries: South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It was the sixth ‘Match in Africa’, but the first organized on the continent. The precedents, the first ten years ago, were celebrated in Europe and the United States.
Before meeting on the court, Federer and Nadal played tennis with children from the townships of Hout Bay, near Cape Town.
Later, another of the guests at the party at Cape Town Stadium was Siya Kolisi, the captain of the Springboks, the South African rugby team that was world champion in Japan-2019.
«His story is very powerful. It is an incredible opportunity to change things, “said Federer de Kolusi, the protagonist of a career marked by self-improvement that led him from a poor neighborhood to the captaincy of a team reserved for whites for many years.
The rugby player took to the tennis court before the start of the duel and presented Federer with a Springboks jersey, with which the Swiss legend began his match with Nadal. AFP