With the world of sports at an indefinite standstill, professional athletes are shifting their focus on philanthropic efforts in response to the health and economic threat that is the coronavirus pandemic.
Case in point is tennis’s current biggest star Roger Federer who has been extra active in helping the people affected by the ongoing global health crisis.
Humanitarian Response
His efforts notably focus on sending aid to children as well as their families.
Among the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s recent efforts include a $1 million donation made through his foundation to feed around 64,000 young children in Africa, where schools have temporarily closed due to the virus.
Many underprivileged families reportedly rely on free meals (breakfast and lunch) schools provide for their children to get by. Federer’s donation seeks to fill the void school closures left.
The 38-year-old athlete created the Roger Federer Foundation in 2004 to specifically address the needs of disadvantaged families both in the African continent and his home Switzerland.
Foundation Efforts
That said, he didn’t forget to extend a helping hand to his native land as well as the European country deals with the aftermath of the pandemic. He and his wife Mirka, who is also a Swiss tennis player, have already pledged $1 million to donate towards families in need.
Federer spoke about the donation on his Instagram and said that the money would be used to create an emergency assistance fund for Swiss families. The resource would be accessible to people as vouchers for food or child care.
Although Federer has given away a lot of money during and even before the coronavirus pandemic hit the world, his donations won’t be hurting him financially it seems like. After all, he’s built an impressive $900 million fortune for himself and is reportedly on track to become a billionaire as some news sources are anticipating.
Put on Hold
Still, his career and earnings are also somewhat affected by the global crisis. Tennis, like many other professional sports, has been feeling the negative effects it brought with it.
Major tennis organizations have already postponed and even canceled events like the French Open and Wimbledon for the near future. It remains unclear when the playing season will resume even with some countries beginning to ease up on their respective lockdown guidelines.
Thus, Federer might have to wait a long time before he gets to nab his 21st Grand Slam title.