Nadal and Djokovic’s Charity Match About More Than Tennis

(April 11, 2011) At first I rolled my eyes when I heard the news of the recently announced exhibition to be played between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the pitch of the fabled Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.

Why, I thought, would anybody want to try to play tennis in front of 80,000 spectators? And who, I thought, would want to shell out their hard-earned money to see a match that doesn't even count, from a vantage point that more than likely will be much less than desirable?

We hear constant complaints that Arthur Ashe Stadium is too big for tennis viewing, and it holds less than 23,000 spectators. Anybody who has ever spent an evening in the nosebleed seats there surely knows what I'm talking about. If not, imagine trying to find a single flea in the filthy coat of a sheepdog...

Now, imagine tennis at a venue that is four times bigger than Ashe!

Then I realized: that was the skeptic in me talking. Once I took a few moments to do some research on the event, I realized that the charity match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, to be played on July 14th, has nothing to do with tennis and everything to do with humanity.

Nadal, who set up the Rafael Nadal Foundation in 2007 to help socially discriminated children and teenagers who run the risk of being excluded by society, is committed to providing educational programs to the deprived. As a guy who grinds for much of the year, risking life and limb in the eternal chase for ATP ranking points and Grand Slam titles, it's great that he can take a moment and use some of his well-deserved celebrity to foster a cause that he truly cares about.

And the fact that he's bringing his friend and rival Novak Djokovic into the fold to help is even better.

The event, which will be run jointly by Nadal's foundation and the Real Madrid Foundation (Real Madrid is one of Nadal‘s great obsessions), aims to obliterate tennis's previous attendance record. The current record of 35,681, set by Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams in July 2010, will very likely be doubled by Nadal and Djokovic this summer. 

No matter who wins or loses, or how bad a lot of the seats are sure to be, tennis's longstanding tradition of philanthropy will be honored by Nadal and Djokovic in July. That's what matters more than the price of a ticket, the view, or the final score.

Sometimes it's about tennis and only tennis. Most of the time, in fact.

Other times it's about so much more.

Thankfully, our sport has prescient personalities who see -- and embrace -- the bigger picture.

So, if you find yourself rolling your eyes like I did at the sheer gargantuan-ness of the event, just remember: there are lives in the balance. There are children in this world who are in dire need of help. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, dedicated and passionate men that they are, are more than willing to help their collective cause.

We should be immensely proud that our sport's biggest stars want to make a difference.

Visit the Rafael Nadal Foundation for more information.