Federer beats Nadal in Tennis Exhibition ‘Match For Africa’

Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal 46 63 63 in their charity exhibition ‘Match For Africa’ to benefit the Roger Federer Foundation in Zurich.

“This is a special match for me, which I’ll remember forever, not just only for a long, long time,” Federer said. “I thought obviously of doing a match like this for a long time, but I felt comfortable doing it this year and Rafa was so supportive and coming over and helping… I’ll look back on this with very fond memories forever and that I was able to pull off this event here in Switzerland for the first time so nicely and with such hype, it was just amazing.”

“ It’s really difficult to play today. We haven’t had any practice on this court – they build it up, tear it down – but it was for a great cause. I’m so happy Rafa came here today. We tried our best to put in a good effort and I thought the crowds were amazing.” Federer added.

Nadal capitalised on double break point in the ninth game before serving out the opening set at love.

In the second set, Federer claimed a 3-0 lead and kept the lead to level at one-set all. The Swiss Maestro won the final four games of the match, closing out the victory with a winner on return of serve.

“The atmosphere is quite different; it’s not a tournament really, it’s just one particular match, which honestly I’m not quite used to doing,” said Federer. “The focus is just solely on two players and one match. There was quite a pressure going into a match like this, but at the end of the day, it’s so not important who won the match tonight. It was a match for Africa, this money is going to go to a good cause, for my Foundation, for kids in Africa, so I’m so proud and so happy that we all made it work, so thanks again to everybody.”

“It wasn’t an easy match with new conditions, no days of preparation… The important thing is what he said is the money for the Foundation, for very good causes, for the kids, for the people that really need help, so I’m very happy to be part of this event. Thank you to Roger who invited me here. It was an unforgettable experience." Said Nadal.

The match in Switzerland raised money for Federer’s foundation, which backs educational work with children in Africa. It currently supports projects in Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and his mother’s native South Africa.