Published 18:11 IST, January 16th 2020
Rafael Nadal fulfills firefighter's dream in 'Rally for Relief' doubles match | Watch Clip
Rafael Nadal, who was also part of the Rally for Relief event, won many fans over by playing a doubles match with a lady volunteer firefighter Deb Borg.
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The tennis charity event for the victims of the Australian bushfires was all about fun, entertainment as well as the players' generosity. Top tennis stars graced the occasion and entertained fans at the Rod Laver Arena ahead of the Australian Open. The 'Rally for Relief'' fundraiser event raised almost AUD $5 million.
Rafael Nadal makes Deb Borg's day
"Bravo!" @RafaelNadal + firefighter Deb 🙌 🤗 #Rally4Relief
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 15, 2020
To contribute: https://t.co/9RPgZ7cBoB pic.twitter.com/ddeRF1ubZ6
World No 1 Rafael Nadal, who was also part of the event, won the heart of a fan named Deb Borg by playing a doubles match alongside her. Borg is a volunteer firefighter, who was invited onto the court as a tribute to her contributions for the cause. Borg teamed up with Nadal in a doubles match against Caroline Wozniacki and Alexander Zverev. Deb did show off her tennis skills, hitting a winner while playing at the net. She even got a huge hug from Nadal after one winner, with the World No.1 calling the shot 'Bravo'.
Rally for Relief: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer donate money
"Talking with Roger, we decided to give $250,000 together." 👏 👏 👏 👏#Rally4Relief
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 15, 2020
To contribute: https://t.co/9RPgZ7cBoB pic.twitter.com/ocdiw8D0if
Rafael Nadal along with World No 3 Roger Federer made a $250,000 donation with fundraising efforts. Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrios and Maria Sharapova had also pledged money to help the Australia bushfires victims. Serena Williams chipped in with a hefty donation as she gave away her entire prize money from winning the ASB Classic in Auckland. The ATP also announced an AUD $725,000 donation from players towards the WWF’s Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund.
'Rally for Relief' to be extended at Australian Open
The ‘Rally for Relief’ event was specially organized by Tennis Australia to raise funds for the Australia bushfires. Tennis stars like Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, had agreed to play in an exhibition match to raise funds for Australia bushfires relief. Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki, Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem were the other players to take part in the event.
18:11 IST, January 16th 2020