Rafa Nadal joins a virtual tennis tournament to raise funds in the fight against the coronavirus

The 2020 season of the men’s professional tennis circuit is in danger from the coronavirus. This was announced by the president of the ATP, the Italian Andrea Gaudenzi. “No one knows when we will compete again. We are talking about hypothetical dates. It all depends on the virus. No one can exclude the postponement of tennis until January 2021, that we return to play with the Australian Open, “said the top honcho of the Association of Professional Tennis Players.

As with men, the WTA women’s circuit is also paralyzed by the advance of the pandemic in the world. With suspension until at least July 13, players take advantage of their time to join different charity events or to generate new spaces of aid to counter the blow that the arrival of the virus generated in the population COVID-19.

In this sense, the organizers of the Mutua Madrid Open -the tournament that has been organized for 18 years in Madrid was suspended-, they took advantage of the activity parate to create a virtual tennis tournament which will bear the same name and in which great figures of today will participate.

In the last hours Rafael Nadal was the one who joined the event Directed by former Spanish tennis player Feliciano López. “From the confinement and with the encouragement that we are giving ourselves, happy to participate in the virtual tournament in Madrid and how could it be otherwise, I will try to give everything. I do not know how it will go, but I hope to be with you and feel their support as it always happens every time I play at home, this time virtual, “said the 12-time Roland Garros champion, who now must replace his racket with the joystick of a video game console.

The tournament, which will take place from April 27 to 30, will be played online, since each player will participate from their residence. Just as it happens when playing at the Caja Mágica in Madrid, The contest will have two paintings, one male and one female, which will seek to raise some 150,000 euros, which will be used to alleviate the social impact caused by the coronavirus in Spain..

“Since we announced that the Mutua Madrid Open could not take place on the dates initially scheduled – from May 1 to 10 – we have been working to think about how we could bring tennis closer to the fans,” said López. The winners of the virtual tournament will be able to choose if they want to donate part of the money raised to tennis players who are in a difficult financial situation.

Nadal, who became champion five times in the championship held in the Spanish capital, will be the No. 1 seed in the men’s table. Another tennis player who confirmed his presence is the British Andy Murray and french Lucas Pouille. Among the women, the German will say present Angelique Kerberthe dutch Kiki Bertens and the Spanish Carla Suarez.

It is important to remember that Nadal is one of the promoters along with the basketball player Pau Gasol who also seeks to raise funds for people affected by the coronavirus in Spain.. Both athletes lead the #NuestraMejorVictoria campaign, the movement that will seek to add money to the “Red Cross Responds” project, aimed at reducing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting the public administration to ensure the continuity of responses to the population in In general and especially to people in vulnerable situations, the objective will be to raise around 11 million euros for more than 1,000,000 afflicted people.