Tennis, cricket stars rally behind Aussie bushfire relief

SYDNEY: Tennis and cricket stars spearheaded by Nick Kyrgios and Chris Lynn on Friday pledged support for victims of bushfires raging around Australia, donating cash for every ace or six they hit.

The blazes have claimed 18 lives and forced mass evacuations, with the country bracing for a weekend heatwave expected to fan the deadly infernos. Tennis Australia also announced a “Rally for Relief” exhibition match at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on January 15 ahead of the Australian Open, with “the world’s top players” taking part.

It also made a Aus$1.0 million (US$690,000) donation to help communities repair and rebuild tennis facilities damaged or lost in the bushfires. Kyrgios, a controversial figure with a bad boy reputation, has been at the forefront of building support and pledged Aus$200 for each ace he serves in the Australian summer of tennis, starting with the ATP Cup, which began Friday.

“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,” tweeted the 24-year-old, who was handed a 16-week suspended ban in September after a series of outbursts.

His Australian teammate at the inaugural ATP Cup Alex de Minaur went one better. “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,” he replied, with Australian veteran Samantha Stosur also pledging $200 per ace.