Nadal, Alcaraz Will Play In US Open Charity Event To Support Ukraine

The USTA on Wednesday announced “The Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition”, an event to be held on Ukraine Independence Day, 24 August, to benefit the people of Ukraine under the Tennis Plays for Peace programme.

Stars participating in the event include Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz, Matteo Berrettini, John McEnroe, Coco Gauff, Leylah Fernandez, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and Victoria Azarenka. They will play a series of singles and mixed doubles matches inside Louis Armstrong Stadium from 7 to 9 p.m.

Tennis Plays for Peace, which is comprised of tennis’ governing bodies and the Grand Slam events, has raised more than $1 million in humanitarian aid and the USTA expects to raise at least $2 million more during the US Open.

“The US Open is a stage that attracts millions of passionate fans, and it is incumbent upon us to help guide this passion to help those who desperately need it,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Mike McNulty. “This is a vitally important cause, and I’m proud of the way in which our sport has rallied together to lend a much-needed hand to our friends in Ukraine. I’m likewise proud that we are able to use the global platform of the US Open to enhance the giving effort, and I urge everyone to do all they can to help us show the people of Ukraine that we stand with them in their time of need.”

Tickets for “The Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition”, which go on sale via TicketMaster on 10 August, are $25 and $50 with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to GlobalGiving, the international non-profit identified by Tennis Plays for Peace. All donations to GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund will support humanitarian assistance in impacted communities in Ukraine and surrounding regions where Ukrainian refugees have fled. 

The event will be hosted by ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe, and ESPN will make The Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition available on ESPN+. The official domestic broadcaster of the US Open also will provide the program to the US Open’s world feed, and the event will stream on USOpen.org.

The main draw of the US Open begins on 29 August.