The start of 2017 has been more than phenomenal for Roger Federer. His current 4th rank is due to winning this year's Australian Open along with top finishes at the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open. At age 36, the first quarter of this year has brought major professional success, perhaps unexpected for him and for the public after his six month layoff at the end of the previous year.
His efforts to regain top-notch athletic status have been exceptionally effective; however, his professional tennis work is only the tip of the iceberg when reviewing the remainder of his overall activities.
Federer's first quarter charity work
On April 29th, Federer will be teaming up with Microsoft founder Bill Gates and face-off against American tennis titan John Isner (his partner yet to be named) in the 4th annual Match For Africa. The Seattle Key Arena match will raise funds to support charitable activities for the children of Africa through the Roger Federer Foundation and Charitable Fund.
April 15th brought Easter, and Federer joined LIndt Chocolate to host an event for the children's hospital in his home town of Basel. Regardless of the amount of financial donation on the part of either partner, Federer donated significant time -- time away from tennis, time away from work-related activities, and time away from his family.
Both of these events come on the heels of his tennis schedule, with the Miami Open concluding on April 2nd, less than two weeks prior.
His charity work is actually more than just showing up
For his fourth Match for Africa, Federer created a social media series that highlights and showcases the event as well as the work completed by his charity organization.
Likewise, he used the power of social media to draw attention to Lindt and the related hospital efforts.
Creating such social media marketing involves an incredible amount of time and effort, which, again, Federer has put forth in order to ensure successful events. Tickets for the Match for Africa 4 range in cost from $50 to $1500.
Federer has appeared in related videos, print ads, and tweets in order to ensure a sell-out crowd which in turn ensures a greater level of charitable funding.
Federer is a tennis great based on his record of career wins, but also based on everything else he has done beyond the tennis court as well.
Join @rogerfederer, @JohnIsner and me for a night of world-class tennis benefiting the Roger Federer Foundation: https://t.co/bktvWCZwnO pic.twitter.com/briA13LNcB
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) April 8, 2017