Cash for aces: Nick Kyrgios to serve up bushfire relief
Nick Kyrgios has pledged to donate $200 for every ace he hits this summer to raise funds for bushfire-affected communities.
“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,” the world no. 30 wrote on Twitter Thursday night.
Australian teammate Alex de Minaur joined in, saying he would contribute $250 per ace. “I will go $250 per ace, just because I don’t think I’ll be hitting as many aces as you mate,” de Minaur responded to Kyrgios’ post.
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. #MoreToCome #StayTuned
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) January 2, 2020
I like this I will go $250 per ace, just because I don’t think I’ll be hitting as many aces as you mate. 😂😂😂 #dropthehammer https://t.co/SxMPs3XQud
— alex de minaur (@alexdeminaur) January 2, 2020
The pledge came after Kyrgios proposed a charity exhibition match to Tennis Australia.
“C’mon @TennisAustralia surely we can do a pre @AustralianOpen exho to raise funds for those affected by the fires?” the 24-year-old shared to Twitter on Wednesday.
The governing body’s CEO Craig Tiley said initiatives to help raise money for bushfire relief will be announced soon, beginning at the inaugural ATP Cup.
The tournament, which will take place in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, announced on Friday morning that every ace served in its inaugural competition will see $100 donated to Australian Red Cross.
The game’s headline acts included world no. 1 Rafael Nadal and and no. 2 Novak Djokovic.
Each ace served across the @ATPCup at all three venues will deliver $100 to the @RedCrossAU bushfire disaster relief and recovery efforts.
With more than 1500 aces expected to be served, the tournament contribution is expected to exceed $150,000.— ATPCup (@ATPCup) January 2, 2020
“For weeks we’ve been watching the devastation caused by bushfires across Australia and the people affected are constantly in our thoughts,” Tiley said on Thursday.
“We ... will announce a number of fundraising and support initiatives that will be rolled out across the ATP Cup, Australian Open and our other events over the coming weeks. Stay tuned for further announcements.”