Nick Kyrgios has vowed to pledged $200 for every ace he produced during the Australian swing of the tour to those affected in his home country by bushfires.
Australia is experiencing some of the worst fires in its history with 18 people having already lost their lives. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and evacuations have taken place. A state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales with temperatures set to rise over the weekend. The fires are also affecting Victoria.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, former top 20 player Kyrgios confirmed his intention to donate. He will return to action over the coming days at the ATP Cup in Brisbane.
“I’m kicking off the support for those affected by the fires,” Kyrgios wrote. “I’ll be donating $200 [£106] per ace that I hit across all the events I play this summer.”
In the wake of the gesture from the 24-year-old, other tennis players have vowed to do similar. Australia’s top ranked male player Alex de Mianaur have said he will donate $250 for every ace. Joking that he doesn’t hit as many aces as his compatriot. Meanwhile, John Milman has set his target at $100.
I’m not at your level boys but I want to get involved. $100 for an ace over the Australian summer. #servingupsomehelp https://t.co/eIwIH0xTXT
— John Millman (@johnhmillman) January 2, 2020
Also joining in is Sam Stosur, who will donate $200 per ace, and John Peers has committed to $100.
Kyrgios’ announcement comes hours after Tennis Australia confirmed that they will host a series of events to raise money for those affected. It is unclear as to what will be happening, but the events will coincide with various tournaments over the coming weeks. On the eve of the announcement, Kyrgios took to Twitter to urge the governing body to help support the cause.
“For weeks we’ve been watching the devastation caused by bushfires across Australia and the people affected are constantly in our thoughts,” CEO Craig Tiley Tiley said in a statement.
“We want to help these communities in a meaningful way and will announce a number of fundraising and support initiatives that will be rolled out across the ATP Cup, Australian Open and our other events over the coming weeks.”
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, insurance claims by those affected by the fires could exceed the $600M mark.
