Roger Federer has donated $1 million (£826,000/€924,000) to provide meals for families in Africa affected by school closures in place to stop the spread of coronavirus.
His charity, the Roger Federer Foundation, will feed 64,000 people impacted by the crisis, with many families previously relying on free school meals.
It will work with local partners in Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi to provide extra food for the next two months.
Janine Händel, chief executive of the Roger Federer Foundation, said: “The normally provided school meals are often the only nutritious meal children get.
“With schools now closed, children no longer have access to these meals.
“Hunger is a problem, in particular in the countries with lockdowns where vulnerable families have no reserves.”
The Foundation was founded in 2003 and supports educational projects in southern Africa and Federer’s native Switzerland.
Those projects in Africa focus on early learning and basic education, while in Switzerland extra-curricular activities for children impacted by poverty are promoted.
The Swiss icon has won 103 Association of Tennis Professionals titles at the age of 38, including 20 Grand Slams – the most in the history of men’s tennis.
Federer also won men’s doubles gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympics and was the singles silver medallist at London 2012.
Born to a Swiss-German father and a South African mother, Federer focuses his Foundation on the two areas of the world where he has heritage.
There have been in excess of 83,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Africa to date, resulted in the deaths of at least 2,730 people.
Mike Tyson Picks Roger Federer Over Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic As ‘GOAT Of Tennis’
Mike Tyson said that it is fantastic to see Federer play at this level and he is amazed at how he manages to remain competitive at the age of 38.
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have been untouchable ever since they have reached the pinnacle of the sport. The ‘Big Three’, as they are referred to, have been a dominant force on court and still continue to do so despite the emergence of some exciting players on the ATP circuit.
Apart from dominating the tennis world, all three players have been often dragged into the debate as to who is the ‘Greatest of All Time’ (GOAT). The ‘GOAT’ debate in men’s tennis have left fans divided with their opinions. Recently, legendary boxer Mike Tyson shared his thoughts on who he thinks is the ‘GOAT’ between the ‘Big 3’.
Mike Tyson picks Roger Federer as GOAT of tennis
According to a report in Essentially Sports, the ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson has picked Roger Federer as the greatest of all-time. The former heavyweight champion said that it is fantastic to see him play at this level and he is amazed at how Federer still manages to play at his best despite being 38.
Mike Tyson picks Novak Djokovic as his favourite player
Although Tyson considers Roger Federer as the GOAT, he picked Novak Djokovic as his favourite player currently. Mike Tyson called Djokovic a true fighter and is his favourite because of the way in which the Serbian has come back from injuries and beaten the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer remarkably.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic Grand Slam record
The trio has till date shared 56 of the last 67 Grand Slams titles among themselves. However, among the three, Roger Federer leads the way with 20 Grand Slam titles and is closely followed by his nemesis Rafael Nadal, who has 19 Grand Slam titles to his name. Novak Djokovic is third on the list with 17 Grand Slam titles to his name .
