At the beginning of the month, Nick Kyrgios asked Tennis Australia to organize an exhibition to help the people affected by the bushfires in his country. That invitation was well received and Tennis Australia organized a fantastic event with the help of tennis legends such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams. The local fans were also delighted with the presence of the new generation with the participation of Nick Kyrgios, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Sascha Zverev, Naomi Osaka, and Coco Gauff as well as Petra Kvitova Dominic Thiem and Caroline Wozniacki. Eventually, the event helped to raise $4,826,014.
Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open Tournament Director, Craig Tiley commented:
“This unprecedented bushfire crisis is devastating people, properties, communities, livestock and animals across the country and our hearts go out to all those affected. We felt it was vital we use all our events across the summer to make a meaningful contribution to help these people and communities rebuild their lives. The response from the tennis community our players, clubs, partners and international tennis bodies has been overwhelming and it’s wonderful to see everyone pull together.”
A snippet of Roger’s interview at the end of #Rally4Relief pic.twitter.com/F44p932hH8
— Mel (@GrandSlamGal) January 15, 2020
An amazing night has helped take the total raised to $4,826,014 👏 👏 👏
And with #AO2020 around the corner there's more tennis to come, more aces to be hit and more money to be raised.
To contribute: https://t.co/9RPgZ7cBoB #Rally4Relief | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/virxdKA4GJ
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 15, 2020
The concerns for the Australian Open
The fire in Australian has also been affecting the Australian Open. On the first day of the qualifications, Dalila Jakupovic had to withdraw from the match after a nasty and worrisome coughing fit because of the haze caused by the fires. Fortunately, Melbourne is now experiencing heavy rain that is making the air more breathable.
Here all the images and videos from Twitter.
"To do nothing is not an option" time has come to respect the laws of mother nature, else no one stands a chance to escape her fury.#Rally4Relief https://t.co/p9fOWTUrph
— Arijeet Palit (@palit_arijeet) January 15, 2020
Tennis could not ask for better representatives to come together and support such an important cause, @NickKyrgios and @rogerfederer being two of them
The total raised is now $4,826,014. 🙌
To contribute →https://t.co/mT6aZY8F54.#Rally4Relief #Aces4BushfireRelief @lynlinking https://t.co/mnpXgqT1e3
— @kate (@kateju9) January 15, 2020
4️⃣2️⃣ Grand Slam singles titles in one photo 💪🏾💪🏼 #Rally4Relief #AusOpen 📸: Getty pic.twitter.com/iuofEwst3c
— Luis. 🏆7️⃣3️⃣ (@serenapower_) January 15, 2020
Roger Federer’s ranking and performance in 2020
Currently ranked no.3, Roger played his last match on the 16th of November when he was defeated by Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals.
Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2020
Currently the world no.1, the Spaniard played his last match on the 12th of January when he was defeated by Novak Djokovic 6-2 7-64 in the final in the ATP Cup.
Rafael Nadal’s most significant result of the year was reaching the final in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played each other 42 times. The head to head is 26-16 for Nadal.
The last time that they played each other, Roger Federer won 7-63 1-6 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in London (Wimbledon) in July 2019.
Here the video highlights.
Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2020
Currently the world no.2, the Serbian played his last match on the 12th of January when he defeated Rafael Nadal 6-2 7-64 in the final in the ATP Cup to win his 77th career title.
Currently, this year Djokovic has a 6-0 win-loss record. Novak conquered 1 title in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney.
Serena Williams’s ranking and performance in 2020
Currently the world no.9, Serena Williams played her last match on the 12th of January when she beat Jessica Pegula 6-3 6-4 in the final in Auckland to win her 73rd career title.
During this season the American has a 5-0 win-loss record. Serena conquered 1 title in Auckland.
