Roger Federer. Rafael Nadal. Cape Town.

Those are the three most important things to know about the exhibition charity match that will take place in the Mother City next year.

Over the years, two of the sport’s greatest ever players have spoken of their immense respect for one another. Along the way, Federer and Nadal have pushed one another to improve their games, resulting in an incredible 38 Grand Slams between them.

So, what do we know about Federer versus Nadal in Cape Town? These details via Sport24:

On Thursday, the ATP Tour’s official website confirmed the pair will do battle on Friday, February 7 at 20:00 in Cape Town in a charity match as part of Federer’s ‘Match for Africa’ series.

The pair will likely head straight to South Africa from Melbourne in Australia following the 2020 Australian Open which concludes on Sunday, February 2.

Tickets for the much-anticipated clash will go on sale in early September and are expected to be in high demand.

Organisers have promised that tickets will be priced to ensure the match will be accessible to as many fans as possible. All net proceeds will benefit the Roger Federer Foundation’s programmes in the region.

The Cape Town Stadium, built for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, is expected to be the venue.

Thankfully, the Cape Town Stadium can hold a cool 50 000+ spectators, so you might stand a chance of actually landing one.

More good news – if that stadium is filled for the match, dubbed the  ‘Match for Africa 6’ (the superstars have played in five previous charity matches), it will set a new world record for a tennis charity match.

The Prince versus the King of Clay won’t be the only match fans get to see, because there will be a knock-around doubles match before the main event. The doubles showdown will see Federer and Bill Gates (yes, that Bill Gates) against Nadal and Trevor Noah.

Quite a line-up, right? Roger is clearly stoked:

“This Match in Africa is a dream come true,” said Federer.

“I will play in my mother’s home country against my toughest rival and friend Rafa Nadal.

“We share not only the love for tennis, but also for the good cause of giving children a better start in education and in life.

“I feel privileged to have other leading philanthropists on board to entertain millions of people in the stadium and on TV. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime moment for my family and I.”

Nadal added: “Roger and I have shared so many magical moments on and off the court.

“Travelling with him to Cape Town and playing for the benefit of children is something I am very excited about. It will be my first time in the region with Roger as a tour guide – that will be fun.”

You did know that Roger’s mother, Lynette Federer (née Durand), was born in Jozi, right?

Proceeds from the match will go to the Roger Federer Foundation, so you’re also doing good whilst enjoying watching two superb sportsmen.

To whet the whistle, here’s the silly video Roger and co. did ahead of the Match for Africa 5:

[source:sport24]