Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff, Andy Murray salute ‘Nonagenarians’ at Tennis Plays for Peace event in Australia
Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Coco Gauff played some fun exhibtion matches for Tennis Plays for Peace event in Australia. They also cheered for the two nonagenarians who played the 'Battle of the Centurions' match.
Follow Us
Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Coco Gauff
Tennis superstars took to the courts in front of cheering tennis fans at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia, on January 11, 2023. Tennis Plays for Peace is a global initiative supported by ATP, ITF, and WTA for peace and humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine. It is a pre-event before the start of the Australian Open 2023.
Legends such as Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray along with Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, Coco Gauff, and Maria Sakkari participated in a host of events to raise money for the charity. All money that will be gathered will go to UNICEF Australia and Global Giving NGO which are working to better human lives in Ukraine. After that, these players also played a few fun exhibition matches.
“Tennis is a truly global sport with an international playing community that has a history of stepping up and helping out. Through Tennis Plays for Peace the tennis community can offer practical assistance through fundraising, as well as show our heartfelt support for the victims of the war,” Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said.
Singers Vika and Linda are also going to entertain the crowd. A Melbourne-based band Volya: Ukrainian Combined Choir, is also set to perform at the event.
However, the most exciting match-up is going to be between two nonagenarians. Leonid Stanislavskyi is a 98-year-old tennis player who is from Ukraine. He is the oldest tennis player in the world as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. He challenged another 98-year-old Henry Young, who is from Australia, for an exhibition match titled ‘Battle of the Centurions’.
Australian Open in its latest social media post, shared this photo of two nonagenarians with tennis superstars.
“This is what it’s all about,” wrote the Australian Open as caption with handshake emoji.
Australian Open 2023 main draw is scheduled to start on January 16, 2023. However, the qualifiers started on January 9 and will continue till January 12.
Learn More: When and Where will the Australian Open 2023 draw ceremony take place?
A line-up of star-studded events before the start of Australian Open 2023
Before the start of the Australian Open 2023, a few practice matches shall also be played. This time Tennis Australia has fixed charges for the tennis fans who will flock to the stadium to watch these practice matches. It is expected that these matches will bring in many tennis fans to the stadiums.
Denis Shapovalov and Holger Rune will play each other on January 9 while, Jessica Pegula will play with Coco Gauff on January 10. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Cristian Garin will entertain the crowd playing a practice match on January 11. Another exciting practice match will be played between Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic on the same day.
Dominic Thiem will play with Alexander Zverev and Aryna Sabalenka will play with Maria Sakkari on January 12. Rafael Nadal is also scheduled to play a practice match with Hubert Hurkacz on the same day.
Incase you missed it:
Stay Updated!
Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)