ATP to give £383,000 to help bushfire appeal in Australia

  • Posted: Jan 12, 2020

The ATP will donate £383,000 to the bushfire relief efforts in Australia.

This gesture on behalf of the governing body of men’s tennis was announced by Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal after the ATP Cup team final in Sydney.

The money will be split between the WWF Australian Wildlife and the Nature Recovery Fund.

“This donation is on behalf of all the players,” said Djokovic, president of the ATP Player Council. “Our thoughts and prayers go to all those affected.”

Djokovic inspired Serbia to victory in the inaugural competition as his singles win over Nadal helped his country beat Spain 2-1.

He added: “Australia is such an amazing and welcoming country and it feels like home for us at the start of each season. To see the damage to wildlife and nature has been devastating.”

Several players have already pledged personal donations towards relief efforts as part of the #Aces4BushRelief campaign.

Serena Williams donated her earnings after winning the Auckland Classic, and she along with Nadal, Roger Federer and local favourite Nick Kyrgios will take part in the Rally4Relief exhibition in Melbourne on Wednesday to raise money before the Australian Open.

Kyrgios had already announced that he would donate 200 Australian dollars (£106) for every ace he hits this season.

Former Australia cricketer Shane Warne raised over £500,000 by auctioning off his ‘baggy green’ cap, and he and former Australia captain Ricky Ponting will captain opposing sides in a special Twenty20 game on 8 February.

And current Australia spinner Nathan Lyon donated £5,300 for the 10 wickets he took in Australia’s win over New Zealand in the recent Sydney Test match.

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