By Tian DuBelko
Bill Gates and Roger Federer pose for a photo before their Match for Africa event. (Source: @BillGates)
Last Saturday, an unlikely tandem of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and 18-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer took to the court as a team.
In a loud and sold-out Seattle’s KeyArena, Gates and Federer took on American tennis star John Isner and famed Seattle-based guitarist Mike McCready of Pearl Jam in a celebrity doubles match.
Put on by the Roger Federer Foundation, this was the fourth Match for Africa event. The previous three installments, played in Switzerland, featured the likes of Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, and Andy Murray.
As he made his inaugural visit to Seattle in front of an announced crowd of 16,000, Federer wowed the crowd with some dazzling serves and tricky returns as he and Gates edged Isner and McCready in a 6-4 set.
Introduced as “the Emerald City phenom known for his worldwide web of skill,” Gates more than held his own in the star-studded match. With Bill Sr. watching in the crowd, Gates landed some skilled shots and showed his long-held passion for the sport.
“I don’t think he missed a first serve,” Federer said afterward. “I missed a lot of first serves today, so he did better than me.”
This was the first time that these two titans of their industry had met. Given their similar interests in tennis and philanthropy, it was only a matter of time. The Roger Federer Foundation has already invested $29 million in the education of 650,000 children. And Bill Gates, the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a big fan.
“I’m a huge fan of Roger’s work on and off the court,” Gates said in a prepared statement. “We share a love of tennis (although he might be a little better than I am) and a belief that all children deserve a world-class education. Roger’s foundation does great work to support education in Africa, so it will be a lot of fun to play alongside him for such an important cause.”
Following a brief intermission after the doubles spectacle, Federer took on Isner for the main event. In a best-of-three match, Federer won in consecutive sets to claim victory over the 10-time ATP winner.
After the match, it was announced that the exhibition had raised over $2 million dollars for the Roger Federer Foundation in its projects to help children in poverty. The proceeds will go to support children’s education in Switzerland, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.
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