Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal in a charity match played in Cape Town, South Africa, tonight. The Swiss was better in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
World Record Broken
The fans from the African continent had a chance to see two of the most successful Grand Slam champions ever, and arguably two of the best players in the history of this tennis.
No doubt, it created a massive hype and attention, which is why Green Point stadium became a venue with the highest attendance for one tennis match in history.
Exactly 51,954 spectators witnessed this clash, which was a memorable scene not only for the ones who were there but also for all the ones who watched this event online.
The result was in the other plan, due to the charity character of this meeting. Roger Federer and his foundation, were gathering finances for helping children have their education in six countries of the African continent – Namibia, Botswana, Malavi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa.
FedEx’s mother is born in SA, and due to that, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has deep feelings for this country. His foundation takes care of the entire African continent, with the focus is on these five countries.
She was very emotional before the game, and so were her son and his sports nemesis.
The entire profits from the gates, and the fundraiser dinner will be invested in the improvement of school programs. Also, among others, Bill Gates was one of the donors at the dinner.
This was the sixth “Match for Africa” as some refer to it, but the first one on the African soil. The previous five took place in Europe and the United States.
Federer Better than Rafa, but That is Less Important
We will say that Roger outplayed Rafa in three sets. The Spaniard who came back after being down 1-0, couldn’t endure his rival’s tempo, and to be honest, Nadal wasn’t in his usual mode.
The two were trying to amuse the crowd and to deliver a spectacle filled with attractive rallies and stunning plays. In those circumstances, Federer adapted better and found his way to win this one.
We could see two legends joking in between the points and calling out one another. This match and result won’t go down in their head-to-head record history, and the gap between Rafa and Roger will stay the same. Right now, the Spaniard has 24 wins, while Swiss posted 16 of them.
The last official match was at the Wimbledon semifinals, and back then, Roger beat Rafa with 3-1.
After their singles clash, one doubles match was on the menu, and it included both guys. Roger paired up with Bill Gates, while Rafa’s partner happened to be Trevor Noah.
It was really a magnificent night in Cape Town, the one which will be written in sports history books for sure.
Both Nadal and Federer are expected to play at the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year at Indian Wells. The tournament starts on March 9th.
