The Match in Africa: Twitter users spot organisers’ unforced error

Two of modern tennis’ greatest players, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, will face off in Cape Town next month but a banner promoting the ‘Match in Africa’ has caused a stir for all the wrong reasons.

The offending promotional material was hung in the Cape Quarter shopping centre in Green Point close to the venue for the match.

What’s wrong with this picture

Federer and Nadal are two of the most recognizable figures in global sport, but it seems the task of putting this banner together was left to someone who had never laid eyes on the Spaniard.

The banner features an image of Federer accompanied by an image of the other member of tennis’ big three, Serbian Novak Djokovic, who is not involved with the event at all.

awks 🙈 pic.twitter.com/qHby5QyYQq

— Alex 2.0 (@AlexPew2) January 27, 2020

The blunder is a spectacular one, considering Nadal is the world number one and has been a professional on the ATP tour since 2001. He is also immediately recognizable to anyone with a passing knowledge of the game of tennis as is Djokovic.

South Africa has been starved of top-class tennis since the demise of the once-revered South African Open and demand for tickets to the Match in Africa are high.

What the Match in Africa is in aid of

Questionable promotional material aside, the Match in Africa will be played in support of a good cause, with a portion of proceeds from the match going towards children’s education in Africa, through the Roger Federer Foundation.

“This Match in Africa is a dream come true,” said Federer according to the official website of the event. “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.”

Rafael Nadal said: “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.”

The match will be broadcast on Supersport and will stream on ATP Tennis TV.

For anyone still in doubt we have included a gallery of images of Rafael Nadal.

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  Match in Africa: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning his Men’s Singles third round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain on day six of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 25, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

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  NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Rafael Nadal of Spain shows his frustration during his Men’s Singles semi-final match against Matteo Berrettini of Italy on day twelve of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 06, 2019 in Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

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  Match in Africa: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a backhand against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the mens final during day eight of the International BNL d’Italia at Foro Italico on May 19, 2019 in Rome, Italy. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

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  Jan 24, 2019; Melbourne, AUSTRALIA; Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates match point against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece on day eleven of the 2019 Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Pierre Lahalle/Presse Sports via USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

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  Picture: Screenshot/Twitter