Roger Federer and Andy Murray are scheduled to play each other in a charity event for Africa. The Swiss Maestro has tapped the service of the reigning world no.1 for the third edition of Match For Africa on Sunday in Zurich, Switzerland.
The 29-year old Murray will be returning from a one-month injury (elbow) layoff to face the hottest player on the ATP Tour in a match that aims to generate funds for continuous education of impoverished children in Africa. The Briton was originally scheduled to play Federer in the same event last year, but it was postponed due to the Swiss’ season-ending knee injury.
Chance to measure up against the best
The upcoming exhibition match against Federer will not only give Murray an avenue to accomplish his philanthropic purposes, it also serves as a perfect litmus test to determine his current level of play post-injury. Murray had a strong clay court campaign last year, as he bagged the Rome Masters and finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the Madrid and French Open.
Federer, on the other hand, had a waxing hot start off a six-month injury rehab. The 35-year old shocked everybody by capturing the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters and Miami Masters on his way to a 19-1 slate. After his latest Sunshine Double feat in Miami, Federer announced that he will sit out most of the clay court season in order for his body to recover well from the blitzing first-quarter campaign.
He’s expected to return to action at the French Open, where he’s targeting his first crown since 2009.
Sunday’s Zurich Exhibition will be played on a hard court, but it will nevertheless give them the opportunity to familiarize with each other’s style after not going head-to-head since 2015. Federer and Murray might not be the overwhelming favorites this clay court season; however, these two tennis stars will surely be the head of the pack once grass court season comes in.
“To get the opportunity to play against [Roger] and has been great for my game… Obviously, it’s been hard because of how good he is, but I’ve loved competing against him and he’s always been good to me away from the court. That’s important too,” Murray said of Federer in a recent interview.
Match for Africa series
Federer has become more committed in philanthropy in the past few years, especially for his own Foundation.
In 2010, the 18-time Grand Slam champion invited his rival Rafael Nadal to play in the first ever Match for Africa, a charity event that generated $2.6 million in donation money. The follow-up event Match for Africa 2 also turned out to be a massive success, with Stan Wawrinka serving as the guest in 2014. At the end of April, Federer will be joining Bill Gates and John Isner for Match for Africa 4 in Seattle.
