Roger Federer: ‘I hope Nick Kyrgios gets a lot of support at the Australian Open’

Following his first round match win against Steve Johnson at the 2020 Australian Open, Roger Federer was asked what it meant for him to participate to the AO: Rally for Relief, an exhibition that raised almost $5 millions for the Australian bushfires victims. “Well, I knew I was going to be there, in an event like this. That’s normal, like all the other top guys, and that’s why it was nice to see us all getting out on the court together. We appreciate to do it, even if we don’t always have the time, depending on what the tournament looks like, because they need revenues as well and it is not always just easy to shove it over for a good cause. Some people don’t think that way, but here in Australia people do. That’s why it was great that Tennis Australia and the Australian Open thought that way and it really gave us an opportunity to get together and get behind the country that needs it so much,” he said.

The Swiss, who faced Nick Kyrgios in that exhibition, also praised the Australian: “I know his city (Canberra) has been affected and he looked very emotional going out during and after. I hope he gets a lot of support this week because he is also one of the guys who got the ball rolling, like so many other Aussie players. It was just nice to be on the court with him.”

Both Federer and Kyrgios qualified for the third round, by beating Filip Krajinovic and Gilles Simon respectively.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/30RcyPj