SM
Bayern vs. Augsburg: 21 hrs 16 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Tennis Australia promise to support bushfire victims

:Headline: Tennis Australia promise to support bushfire victims: ID:384781: from db_amp
Nick Kyrgios took to social media to call for an exhibition match to be played ahead of the Australian Open.

Tennis Australia has responded to Nick Kyrgios' call for the sport to raise money to help people affected by the devastating bushfires in the country.

The ongoing disaster has seen lives and homes lost and vast areas of land ravaged by fire, with no end yet in sight.

The new tennis season will begin in Australia on Friday as the inaugural ATP Cup gets under way in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, with the Australian Open starting on January 20.

Kyrgios tweeted on Wednesday: "C'mon @TennisAustralia surely we can do a pre @AustralianOpen exho (exhibition) to raise funds for those affected by the fires?"

In a message on Twitter on Thursday, Australian Open tournament director and Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said that plans are afoot.

He wrote: "For weeks we've been watching the devastation caused by bushfires across Australia and the people affected are constantly in our thoughts.

"We want to help these communities in a meaningful way and will announce a number of fund-raising and support initiatives that will be rolled out across the ATP Cup, Australian Open and our other events over the coming weeks.

Large areas of Australia have been devastated by fire (Glen Morey/AP)

"Stay tuned for further announcements."

Kyrgios has already pledged to do his bit individually, tweeting: "I'm kicking off the support for those affected by the fires. I'll be donating $200 per ace that I hit across all the events I play this summer."

Cricket Australia has also announced plans to auction off players shirts from the Boxing Day Test win against New Zealand, with funds going to the Australian Red Cross.

Sydney, where Great Britain play their opening match against Bulgaria on Friday, is the closest ATP Cup venue to the fires.

There have been concerns over air quality but GB captain Tim Henman said his team will not be complaining.

He told reporters in Sydney: "In the context of what this country is going through with the bushfires and for us having to deal with perhaps slightly poor air quality, I think right there is the perspective. I don't envisage it being a problem at all.

"Our thoughts and hearts go out to the people that have been so badly affected because it's horrific. When you see the impact that the fires are having on communities, on lives, it's tragic. I'm sure I speak on behalf of all the guys when I say that we will be available to do what we can."

Meanwhile, players due to compete in the Challenger event in Canberra, where air quality is currently very poor, were waiting to hear whether the tournament would go ahead.

In the absence of Andy Murray, who has pulled out of the ATP Cup and the Australian Open because of a lingering pelvic injury, Britain will be led by world number 42 Dan Evans.

Evans will take on Bulgarian number one Grigor Dimitrov, while Cameron Norrie should get Britain off to a winning start against 423rd-ranked Dimitar Kuzmanov.

The tie will be concluded with a doubles match between the scratch pairing of Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury and Alexandar Lazarov and Adrian Andreev.

The ATP has thrown a lot of money at this new flagship event, which comes only six weeks after the first edition of the new-look Davis Cup was played using a very similar format.

Most of the biggest names in the sport have turned out, including Kyrgios, who will play in Australia's opening clash against Germany.

amp_article__384781 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-01-02 11:48:34:
html db last update - 2020-01-02 11:48:34 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Nick Kyrgios

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .