After the United Cup and Sydney, Maria Sakkari will travel to Melbourne and play for a good cause.
The Greek champion will take part in the "Tennis Plays for Peace" charity tournament at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. She will be joined by Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Frances Tiafoe Jr., Coco Gauff and other tennis players.
All the money collected will be allocated to UNICEF Australia and Global Giving, through which they will contribute to the effort to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
98-year-old Leonid Stanislavskyi from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region will arrive in Australia early next week as an honoured guest. He has laid down a challenge to fellow nonagenarian, 98-year-old Henry Young from Adelaide, and the two will take to Rod Laver Arena for the Battle of the Centurions.
Both men are lifelong tennis players who take to the court every week and last year Stanislavskyi was officially recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s oldest tennis player.
Vika & Linda will get the crowd rocking with their distinctive vocal sound and the Melbourne-based Volya: Ukrainian Combined Choir (Volya means freedom in Ukrainian), will give a moving performance.
Tennis Plays for Peace is a global initiative to bring the tennis community and fans together to support the humanitarian relief efforts for the war in Ukraine. It is supported by all the Grand Slams, the ATP, WTA and ITF.
Tickets for Tennis Plays for Peace are $25 for adults and $5 for children and are available here. For more information, visit the AO website here.
Meanwhile, Chris Evert expressed her adoration towards Rafael Nadal donning the fatherhood cloak, elated at the sight of the Spaniard walking around with his infant son in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion and his wife Maria Francisca Perello were blessed with a baby boy in October, who has now traveled with his parents Down Under to be with them during the United Cup.
From Sydney, the Mallorcan flew to Melbourne upon completion of the tournament for his title defense at the Melbourne Major. Pictures of Nadal holding his son upon landing in the city surfaced on social media, capturing the hearts of fans around the world.
Chris Evert noticed the photos, retweeting one of them and expressing her love for the duo.
"Awwwwwww," Evert wrote.
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