Tennis fans have the chance to get up close and personal with two of the world’s best players at a special charity match in Melbourne early next year.
Scheduled just before the Australian Open, the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne will play host to an exhibition match between Roger Federer and current world number 10 and former Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The event will mark 10 years since Federer’s first win in Australia and the fact that his charity, the Roger Federer Foundation, has been running for a decade.
The Foundation was set up by the four-time Australian Open winner to help impoverished children in his home country of Switzerland and in Southern Africa, where his mother is from. The charity works with local organisations to improve early childhood care, schooling, and after-school opportunities.
After the three-set match, Federer will conduct an interview for the crowd, talking about his career and his charity work, and there will also be live entertainment during the evening.
Money raised from the exhibition match will be split between the Foundation and the Australian Tennis Foundation, which brings the opportunity to play tennis to people who might not otherwise do so including indigenous groups and people with disabilities.
Professional printing services have been called upon to create a special limited edition programme for the event, which lucky fans from Tullamarine may even be able to get autographed by the players.
The match takes place on Wednesday January 8, starting at 8:00pm. Tickets are on sale now.
