CAPE TOWN – Bill Gates is not a bad tennis player at all, and Trevor Noah may need to work on his first serve after the first encounter at the Match In Africa at the Cape Town Stadium on Friday night.
Urged on by a boisterous crowd, Gates and Roger Federer – aka ‘Gateserer’ – ‘beat’ Noah and Rafael Nadal 6-3 in the their celebrity doubles clash, which is part of the Match In Africa efforts to raise $1 million (about R14.8 million) for the Roger Federer Foundation, which helps children to access quality education in southern Africa and Switzerland.
There were some thrilling exchanges between the two pros, with one particular volley drill reaching dizzying heights close to the net.
The 64-year-old Microsoft founder Gates showed that he’s got some game with a couple of neat serves, impressive lobs and decent volleys.
Federer/Gates win 6-3! Great skills from @Trevornoah and @BillGates @IOLsport @IOL #MatchInAfrica #MatchForAfrica
— Ashfak Mohamed (@ashfakmohamed) February 7, 2020
Noah remarked before the match: “Molweni Mzansi! We’ve got a solid strategy – Roger is half-Swiss, half-South African, so I know what he’s going to go.”
It didn’t quite work out for Noah and Nadal, though, with the Daily Show presenter battling with his first serve, perhaps due to the strong wind blowing inside the stadium.
But when he did pull off a winner, he did a soccer celebration and made the sound of blowing a vuvuzela.
It all went to serve for the first few games before Federer and Gates broke, and eventually held on for a 6-3 ‘victory’.
But the crowd gave all four players a warm welcome, and there was also a big cheer for Federer’s mother Lynette, who was born and raised in South Africa and still possesses a strong local accent.
Roger Federer's mother Lynette gets a big cheer from the crowd as she takes to the court. Here his father Robert (right) roars them on during the practice earlier @IOLsport @IOL #MatchInAfrica #Federer #Nadal pic.twitter.com/jHtcXIJCpg
— Ashfak Mohamed (@ashfakmohamed) February 7, 2020
“Ek is baie bly om in Suid-Afrika te wees (I am very happy to be in South Africa)! I still have very close connections to South Africa – we love the people, love the country. We just love you all,” Lynette said.
The big match of the night will see Federer and Nadal square off in a singles match.