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Federer, Nadal target attendance record at Cape Town Stadium

The 55,000-capacity Cape Town Stadium in South Africa will be the stage for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s attempt to set a world record for most attendees at a tennis match.

The ‘Match in Africa 6’ event, scheduled to take place in February 2020, will be for charity with all net proceeds benefiting the Roger Federer Foundation’s programmes in the region.

Tickets are schedule to go on sale in early September, with tickets to be priced in a way that aims to ensure the match is “accessible to as many fans as possible.”

The previous attendance record at a tennis match of 35,681 was set at an exhibition game in Brussels between Belgian Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams in 2010.

Federer said: “This Match in Africa is a dream come true. I will play in my mother’s home country against my toughest rival and friend Rafa Nadal.

“We share not only the love for tennis but also for the good cause of giving children a better start in education and in life.”

Image: warrenski

The event, presented in partnership with Rolex and Credit Suisse, will also host a celebrity/pro doubles match between Federer and Bill Gates, best known as the founder of the Microsoft Corporation, versus Nadal and South African comedian Trevor Noah.

Nadal added: “Roger and I have shared so many magical moments on and off the court. Traveling with him to Cape Town and playing for the benefit of children is something I am very excited about.

“It will be my first time in the region with Roger as a tour guide – that will be fun.”

Cape Town Stadium was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and now serves as home to Premier Soccer League clubs Ajax Cape Town (since 2010) and Cape Town City (since 2016). It has also hosted the South Africa Sevens rugby tournament since 2015.

Main Image: Pixabay