Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal To Lead Charity Event For Australia Fire Victims

KEY POINTS

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will lead a charity event in Australia
Benefits of the event will go to victims of the bushfire
Serena Williams, Nick Kyrgios and others are also expected to join

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will spearhead a charity event in Australia to aid the victims of the bushfire crisis in the country.

Tagged as the “Rally for Relief”, Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley announced on Wednesday that the event will be staged on Jan. 15, ahead of the Grand Slam tournament on the 20^th, at the Rod Laver Arena with a new air quality policy. The proceeds will go to Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

"This is a new experience for not only us but across the world in this sport," Tiley said as reported by ESPN.

Amidst the concerns from fans about the possible effects of the smoke from the bushfire to the players, Tiley said that the organizers are doing all the necessary measures to keep the participants healthy and unharmed.

"But we lead the world with the extreme heat policy and we expect to do the same around air quality. We do have three stadiums with roofs so play will always continue. But what will be new is that we will have some real-time (air quality) monitoring on-site ... and we'll use that analysis to make some decisions around the safety and well-being of players and fans.

"... I think the players understand that this is not something that we can do anything about and they've been gracious and very cooperative. They want to play," he added.

Also expected to participate in the event are Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniaki, Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

"For a period of about two-and-a-half hours we're going to be showcasing the game, but also coming together as a community to play our part in the relief effort," Tiley said. "I'm really proud of the playing group because the number of calls and emails I've got with everyone stepping forward and either giving money or making themselves available. The format is going to be pretty cool ... it's going to be a combination of fun and seriousness.”

"We'll see some doubles, we'll see some singles, some target hitting and opportunities to raise more money on the night. We'll see the players having a lot of fun."