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March 12, 2010
Roger Federer behind 'Hit for Haiti' relief exhibitions
By Leighton Ginn, The Desert Sun
NDIAN WELLS — The Hit for Haiti was actually born at the Australian Open, when world No. 1 men's tennis player Roger Federer was moved to act after watching the images of the destruction on television. Though Federer's fund-raiser, which he put together on the fly, they were able to raise over $600,000 for Haiti relief and caught the eye of a certain billionaire. Larry Ellison, who had bought the BNP Paribas Open a month earlier, was inspired by Federer's act and wanted to do likewise. So Ellison recruited Federer and Pete Sampras to play Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal in a second Hit for Haiti tonight that matches four Hall of Fame players with historic accomplishments. Oracle, the software giant Ellison founded, will help with the fund-raising in an effort to earn at least $1 million for the Red Cross. Last week, they added a women's event of equal talent, as Martina Navratilova and Justine Henin will take on Steffi Graf and Lindsay Davenport. “It shows we have great potential to do something maybe more often in the future for good causes,” Federer said. “This is why I'm excited we have something going on Friday.” Federer was the genesis of the idea. While in Melbourne preparing for the Australian Open, Federer could not escape news of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck about 16 miles from Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12. Approximately 230,000 were killed and about a million left homeless. “When it happened, I thought I wish we could do something as a group,” Federer said. “I saw the pictures on the news. Wow, it's getting harder every day to watch like the tsunami. “I think it was Saturday I woke up, I really had the urge to give an attempt to try to do something.” Once before, Federer had tried to organize a charity event to help victims of the tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean in 2004. Despite his efforts, logistics became a problem and Federer could only raise $15,000. “It was a bit of a pity, but it was better than nothing,” Federer said. However, Federer was not discouraged. He always felt there was a great potential for athletes to make a difference. “As the ATP, as the tennis family as I like to call us, we can do a bit more sometimes,” Federer said. “The only problem we have is getting all together and reaching everyone. Everyone has different schedules and different priorities.” In putting together the Haiti relief, Federer had several logistical problems. He had decided close to the start of the Australian Open to put together his benefit. First, Federer had to secure the stadium, which was unavailable at first due to security. But the tournament organizers worked it out, and then Federer had to convince as many players as possible. “At that time, I was able to talk to (Rafael) Nadal, (Andy) Roddick, (Lleyton) Hewitt and some guys. They were like, ‘sure, we're in.' I know we're playing Sunday, maybe if we can only do half an hour.' I said no problem; I would play the whole thing since I don't play until Tuesday. No problem guys,” Federer said. Federer said the event raised around $200,000, and they got donations from the ITF, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and ATP Tour to push the amount to more than $600,000. For this event, much of the planning was taken care of beforehand by Ellison and tournament officials. Federer will be at the forefront. And Federer is looking forward to the event, particularly with Sampras and Agassi. “I think that's fantastic and we have a great field with Andre and Pete,” Federer said. “It's something that's never been seen before, like I'm playing with Pete.”
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