See! Jocks and nerds can be friends.
It’s not easy being a tennis fan in the Northwest. Considering the nearest ATP tournament is in Indian Wells, California (a mere 19 hour drive!), racket aficionados are pretty much relegated to watching the greatest players in the world on their televisions.
That changes at the end of this month.
Roger Federer—aka the greatest tennis player of all-time—brings his charity tennis exhibition Match for Africa to KeyArena on Saturday, April 29. Federer will face off in an best of three sets exhibition match against the best American player of the post-Andy Roddick era (though that’s not saying a ton), the hard-serving and long-match-having John Isner.
Proceeds from Match for Africa will go to the Roger Federer Foundation, which supports education projects in southern African countries (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe) and his native Switzerland. In the charitable spirit (on multiple levels), the event will also feature a one-set doubles match where Federer will team up with Bill Gates (who heckles Fed in Match for Africa’s promotional video) to face Isner and a yet-to-be-announced celebrity partner.
It’s already been a banner 2017 for Federer. After shutting things down due to injury midway through 2016, the 35-year-old (ancient in tennis terms) has achieved a stunning career comeback. He defeated rival Rafael Nadal in a thrilling Australian Open final to win his first Grand Slam title in five years, and has since followed that up with two more titles. Not only is Federer the GOAT, but he’s improbably the best player on the planet right now. Perfect timing for his first Seattle visit.
Tickets for Roger Federer’s Match for Africa at KeyArena go on sale this Thursday at 9am via Ticketmaster.com. Seats cost $30–$500. There’s also a VIP meet-and-greet package for $1,500.
Match for Africa: Roger Federer vs. John Isner
Apr 29, KeyArena, $30–$1,500
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