Kate joins forces with Roger Federer for charity tennis event

The Duchess of Cambridge has teamed up with tennis star Roger Federer to announce a charity collaboration to raise money for disadvantaged and vulnerable children.

The Laver Cup Open Practice Day will be staged on September 22 at The O2 in London.

Fans will get the chance to watch Federer and other tennis greats including Sir Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal from Team Europe and Team World during their final on-court practice for the competition.

Tickets go on sale on Monday August 22.

The event will raise money for two organisations of which Kate is patron – Action for Children and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), whose charitable arm is the LTA Tennis Foundation.

The collaboration between the Laver Cup, which was co-founded by Federer, and the two charities was Kate’s idea, Kensington Palace said.

The Laver Cup will also host a day of tennis in east London, attended by Kate and Federer, for children aged eight to 15 drawn from those supported by Action for Children and youngsters from the local area who are part of the LTA Serves programme.

Federer tweeted he was excited to announce the Laver Cup was partnering with the duchess this year, adding: “Thank you for your support, and I look forward to seeing you in London!”

Kate, who is a passionate tennis fan, is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), the organisation which stages Wimbledon.

Federer is Prince George’s favourite player, and the 20-times grand slam champion has given coaching tips to the prince in the past, playing him after meeting the royal youngster at the home of Kate’s parents in Bucklebury, Berkshire, in 2019.

The Swiss player revealed George had a “good technique”.

Federer – a long-time friend of the Middleton