DOHA: Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro has decided to support those battling against COVID-19 by donating his shoes he wore in 2013 Wimbledon semifinal against Novak Djokovic.
The auction is scheduled to end on Friday, 15 May.
The charity auction is done in support of the Ramon Santamarina Hospital in Tandil, Argentina. A minimum €5 donation is required to obtain a chance of winning the sneakers.
“Hi everyone, I want to join this big charity campaign after being invited by my friend Papu,” Del Potro said on his team’s Instagram channel. “It occurred to me that I can participate with these sneakers from Wimbledon when I made the semifinals.”
Last month, Djokovic and Jelena Djokovic announced a €1 million donation through the Novak Djokovic Foundation for the purchase of ventilators and medical equipment to support hospitals and other medical institutions in Serbia’s battle against coronavirus.
Roger Federer and his wife Mirka donated one million Swiss Francs (USD $1.02 million) to vulnerable families in Switzerland in the global fight.
The men’s and women’s tours have been stopped, with Wimbledon cancelled for the first time since World War II and the French Open postponed until the end of September.
Spain’s Rafael Nadal had earlier said that the chances of tennis restarting before the end of this year are slim.
“If you gave me the ability to guarantee that in January 2021, a normal season like before will begin, I would sign for that now with my eyes closed.”
In a separate interview with El Pais, Nadal said: “I’m more looking to the Australian Open than what happens later this year. I see 2020 as practically lost.”
Even if the sport returns this summer, the 33-year-old could choose to skip the US Open and save himself for the French Open, his pet event, given there would be just a week between the two.
“It’s all hypothetical because I don’t think it will be like that,” said Nadal to ABC. “My feeling, and I say it with sadness and I won’t lie to you, is that we are losing a year of our lives.” (Source: ATP)
