Coronavirus in sport: Federer, wife Mirka step in with generous donation to help families

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Bengaluru, March 26: Twenty-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer and his wife Mirka have decided to donate $1.02m to vulnerable families in need of help during the coronavirus pandemic in his native Switzerland.

The 38-year-old joins a list of sports stars who have come out in support of the needy to contain the covid-19 outbreak.

The list includes Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola who each had each donated $1.08m to help clinics and medical centres fight the outbreak.

Portugal and Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes also came together to donate lifesaving equipment to Portuguese hospitals.

"These are challenging times for everyone and nobody should be left behind. Mirka and I have personally decided to donate one million Swiss Francs for the most vulnerable families in Switzerland," Federer tweeted from his official handle.

"Our contribution is just a start," Federer added.

"We hope that others might join in supporting more families in need. Together we can overcome this crisis."

Federer is currently recovering from a knee surgery he underwent last month and was targeting a return in June in time for Wimbledon.

The tennis season is, however, suspended until June 7 due to the pandemic.

Globally, more than 420,700 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and 18,820 have died, according to a Reuters tally. Switzerland has nearly 9,900 confirmed cases with 122 deaths.

(With inputs from Agencies)