CoronaSports Aid

Tennis

The elitist nature of the sport has meant that the pandemic has left lower ranked players in financial difficulty as the prize money awarded in the professional game is drastically weighted towards the top few. Those outside the top three – hundred in the world are struggling to break even when balancing earnings to costs of training and travel. The cancellations of tournaments is a situation that some of these professionals cannot afford. Thankfully the top ranked players in the men’s and women’s game have arrived to help out in these desperate times. Here are some of their stories below.

Novak Djokovic donates 1 million euros to Serbia to support their battle against the COVID-19 pandemic

Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena used resources from the ‘Novak Djokovic Foundation’ to detect where best their donations would be used.

They pledged one million euros towards funding medical equipment including ventilators for hospitals to use back in his home country. See this in an article by the Independent here: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/coronavirus-novak-djokovic-donates-one-million-euros-serbia-roger-federer-rafael-nadal-a9430066.html

The current world number one is arguably one of the most popular public icons in Serbia and has a vast influence that reaches further than him just being a sportsmen. It is obvious to ATP fans that he is proud of his national heritage and this generous act illustrates that. Wherever Novak is competing on the global tour there are always crowds of fans with Serbian flags that follow him around the world.

He is an example of how top ranked players in tennis have the power and influence to make a significant impact on society and it is much needed during these tough times.

Roger Federer makes £860,000 contribution back in Switzerland

The legendary Swiss with the most Grand Slam titles in men’s tennis history aims to help families that are vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus in his country of birth.

Roger and his wife , Mirka, have given around £860,000 in donations and will go towards helping vulnerable families and aiding medics who are treating those that are unwell. See the Independent article that broke the news here: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/coronavirus-roger-federer-donation-switzerland-latest-news-a9424481.html

Federer is a name that is known by even most non – tennis fans and has achieved an unbelievable following of fanatical fans that follow him wherever he plays on tour. His graceful style of play and likeable personality has allowed him to grow a platform that enables him to make a difference to peoples lives off the court.

Despite being thirty – eight years old the former number one continues to wow tennis fans around the world with his classy performances with the knowledge that his journey could be ending soon. That will be a sad day for the tennis world when it happens.

Even when the time comes for retirement, I am sure that the impact that Federer has off the court will continue to grow and he will carry on to help those who need it. Federer and Mirka have already set a charity called ‘Roger Federer Foundation’ which has developed educational projects for children in southern African countries.

Rafael Nadal wants fellow Spanish Sporting stars to raise 11 million euros to battle the Corona virus

In a plea to fellow Spanial athletes, the former number one wants to push forward a fund to help those affected by the pandemic.

The Spaniard, who won his nineteenth grand slam title in New York last September, hopes that such donations of 11 million euros could help to aid over a million people in Spain. This story was published by the Independent online, check it out here: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/coronavirus-rafael-nadal-spain-donation-pau-gasol-a9428676.html

The funds would go towards more equipment to support the medical workers to help treat a population that has been badly affected by the virus.

Quick update…

Nadal and good friend two -time NBA champion, Pau Gasol, have announced on social media that will be contributing towards the cause. Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has also stated he would join in helping since.

Check out the article from bleacherreport with the announcements here: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2883323-rafael-nadal-pau-gasol-start-drive-to-raise-121m-for-coronavirus-aid-in-spain

WTA stars come to the fore to fight the Corona virus

Players from the WTA tour have come together to contribute towards supporting the war against the COVID-19 pandemic.

All announcement were condensed on this WTA offical website article that you can have a look at here: https://www.wtatennis.com/news/1646437/-there-are-ways-we-can-help-wta-stars-step-up-for-coronavirus-relief-efforts

Simona Halep

The current world number two, Simona Halep born in Romania, has announced on twitter that she is going to helping those who are vulnerable in her home country by providing medical equipment.

Bianca Andreescu & Caty Mcnally

Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US open champion born in Canada, and the eighteen year old American, Caty Mcnally, both wrote on their twitter accounts that they are auctioning signed rackets. The money will be used towards the ‘COVID-19 response fund’.