Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are widely recognized as two of the most iconic tennis players in the world. The fans of this rivalry witnessed another moment of their sweet relationship when a past video surfaced on the internet.
The iconic rivalry between Nadal and Federer has drawn millions and billions of viewers to the game throughout their two-decade-long rivalry. Although their matches have given us many memorable moments to cherish, it’s their off-court friendship that wins the heart.
A few years ago, Roger Federer invited his friend Rafael Nadal to partake in an exhibition match organized by the Roger Federer Foundation and the Bill Gates Foundation to raise awareness about the issues revolving around the poor lifestyle of needy Africans. The exhibition named ‘The Match for Africa 6 Cape Town’, in South Africa was aimed to raise around 3-5 million dollars in funding to support the movement.
The blockbuster match not only featured the legendary tennis duo but also comedian and talk show host Trevor Noah along with Bill Gates. A total of 51,954 tickets were booked for this match.
Nadal aka ‘The King of Clay‘ is widely recognized as the greatest orange court clay player of all time. But, what he didn’t know was that he was in for a surprise in South Africa as the orange, almost clay-looking court wasn’t clay.
Pointing out the peculiar color chosen for the court, the Swiss legend, Federer couldn’t control himself from shooting himself in the arena while also poking fun at his rival.
“So we got orange colour for Rafa, so it feels like his own clay, but it is hard court,” said Federer and followed it up with a hysterical laughter.
“I am doing the running, Bill is doing the thinking…” Roger Federer on his partnership with Bill Gates and his foundation.
Roger Federer praised his fellow philanthropist and partner, Bill Gates for his immaculate contribution to the ongoing project. The Swiss acknowledged his dedication and drive towards this project.
Roger, further went on to praise Bill for his excellent quantitative skills and the ability to crunch up the numbers.
“He knows numbers very well. He never makes mistakes on the scores. I’ll do the running and Bill does the thinking.”
A total of 2.5 million USD was raised in funding through the exhibition match featuring the two tennis legends, Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.
