Roger Federer’s hastily-arranged tournament on Sunday in favour of the victims of the Haiti earthquake was sold out and raised around200,000 Australian dollars.
This content was published on
1 minute
Federer, in Melbourne for the Australian Open which starts on Monday, proposed the idea to the organisers and fellow competitors on Saturday morning.
He brought together another seven players, including Rafael Nadal. Team Federer was made up of Serena Williams, Samantha Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt, while Team Nadal consisted of Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, and Kim Clijsters.
Despite the short notice, more than 20,000 spectators turned up at the stadium, which holds only 15,000.
Each was asked to make a donation of ten dollars (just over US$9).
The Haitian government currently puts the death toll from Tuesday’s devastating earthquake at 50,000. A further 250,000 are thought to be injured, and 1.5 million have been left homeless.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss plane lands with medicines for Haiti
This content was published on
The aid consists of first aid kits, medical material and medicines, shelters and generators, a spokesman for the foreign ministry told the Swiss News Agency. A second plane will leave Switzerland with more aid on Monday, he added. A total of 41 Swiss experts are also on the ground in the region. Of these, 25…
This content was published on
The Swiss foreign ministry on Wednesday evening said it would send a rapid response unit from its humanitarian aid unit to the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. A 12-member team, comprising specialists in logistics, security, water and shelter, left Zurich airport on Thursday morning. A six-person initial detachment of Swiss experts had already arrived in Haiti,…
This content was published on
The top-seeded Wizard of Oz on Tuesday faces 26-year-old Russian Igor Andreev – ranked a challenging 36 in the world – and will be hoping to make his 22nd grand slam final on January 31. That could be a chance for revenge against Spanish nemesis Rafael Nadal, who last year reduced the 28-year-old Swiss to…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.