World No.2 Rafael Nadal has raised more than 20,000 euros in the fight against the coronavirus with the help of one of his shirts.
The kind of clay donated a shirt he wore during the 2019 French Open to the #LaMejorAsistencia action. A special event set up by the Spanish ABC Basketball League to raise money for the Red Cross. The item proved to be a hit with those taking part after selling for an impressive €20,500. To put that into perspective, a pair of shoes signed by NBA legend Kobe Bryant went for €6,100.
It was at last year’s French Open where Nadal became the first player in the Open Era to win the same grand slam for a 12th time after defeating Dominic Thiem in the final. His emphatic record in Paris currently stands at 93 wins against just two losses. The only players to ever beat him was Robin Söderling in 2009 and Novak Djokovic in 2015.
Along with donations from sponsors, the charity auction has raised more than €143,000 in total to support those fighting the virus. In Spain there have been over 166,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 16,972 deaths as of April 12th, according to Sky News.
During a recent interview with Spanish media, Nadal’s former coach said the 19-time grand slam champion ‘doesn’t give a damn about tennis right now’ due to the pandemic. Toni Nadal, who is the uncle of the tennis star, has cast doubt on the prospects of the Tour resuming in the near future.
“We [Rafael Nadal and I] were talking and he told me he doesn’t give a damn about tennis right now,” Toni told Mundo Deportivo. “That’s logical if you have a little sensitivity.”
“I said a few weeks ago that things were going to be totally stopped for a while. How do you want us to play tennis? It’s unthinkable.
“It won’t be played until there is a very clear security measure.
“If not, how do I go to an event? What if another wave [of infections] comes back in October? How many countries won’t make restrictions on movement? How long will lockdown last? I don’t know.”
It is not the first time Nadal has taken to fundraising for the COVID- 19 cause. Last month he helped launch the #NuestraMejorVictoria (Our Best Victory) campaign with NBA star Pau Gasol. Their aim is to raise €11 million for those in need during the crises.
“You have always been on our side during happy times and difficult times. You have always been understanding… We athletes are what we are largely thanks to your support. Now is the time that we cannot let you down,” he said in a statement. “It occurred to me to ring my friend Pau [Gasol] and he was also thinking about doing something. We reached the conclusion that now is the time to launch this initiative, which we hope that the whole of Spanish sport will get behind.”
The ATP, WTA and ITF tours have all been suspended until at least July 13th due to the Pandemic. Although is was recently announced that the WTA Rogers Cup, which is scheduled for August, has also been delayed until 2021.
