It has been confirmed, two of the world’s greatest tennis players of all time, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, will showdown in a charity match right here in the Mother City next year.
On Thursday, Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato confirmed the match which will be hosted at 8pm on February 7 at the Cape Town Stadium. “We are very excited. We are grateful, happy. Looking at their followers, lots of tennis spectators will follow them down to Cape Town,” Plato told the SABC.
The tournament will be played to raise funds for education in Africa. To add a touch of comedic relief to the much-anticipated event, fans will be treated to a pro-doubles tournament with Roger Federer and Bill Gates facing off against Rafael Nadal and Trevor Noah.
Federer called the match in Africa “a dream come true”.
“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. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime moment for my family and I.”
Nadal, equally excited 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.”
Federer ranks No 3 in the world and also holds dual citizenship in Switzerland and South Africa.
Tickets are expected to go on sale from September, no prices have been released yet.
Picture: Twitter