It’s Bill Gates vs. Roger Federer, round two.
The Microsoft co-founder and tennis legend are getting together on the court again to help raise money for children’s education in Africa via the Roger Federer Foundation.
They first duked it out in Seattle this past April, meeting at KeyArena in front of a sold-out crowd that enjoyed a fun battle with Gates, Federer, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, and American tennis star John Isner.
On March 5 they’ll do it again for “Match for Africa 5,” this time welcoming another top-ranked American tennis player, Jack Sock, and NBC’s Today show host Savannah Guthrie at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. It’ll be Federer’s first-ever match in the Bay Area. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 9 a.m. PT.
“With my foundation, we want to provide one million children with the opportunity for a quality education by the end of 2018,” Federer said in a statement. “The Match for Africa 5 in San Jose will help us reach our ambitious goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with Bill Gates, who in my opinion is the world’s leading philanthropist.”
Definitely watch the promo video above for a few laughs, as Federer gets Gates in tip-top shape for their match.
“Roger and I are 1-0 as a doubles pair after last year’s event, so I’m hoping we can keep the streak alive while raising money for an important cause,” Gates said in a statement. “Roger might have a few more Grand Slam titles than I do, but we share a belief that all children deserve a world-class education. His Match for Africa events are a fun way to help make that happen.”
Gates and Federer share a passion for not only tennis but also philanthropy. Federer, who has given $36 million to support children’s education in six African countries and Switzerland, said that it’s invaluable to know someone like Gates, who dedicated his life to charitable causes through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation following his career at Microsoft.
“For me, what I can take away from this is that I know Bill Gates now,” Federer told GeekWire last year. “Being able to call upon Bill and ask him for advice, and now with our two foundations knowing each other, it’s a different world. He’s put me together with some very interesting people; that’s what he does so well because he speaks to world leaders and so forth. So for me, just being able to meet Bill and also Melinda, who is such a nice person, it’s truly, truly amazing.”
