Federer and Zverev Break Tennis World Attendance Record in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY – Tennis legend Roger Federer has every intention of breaking a world attendance record when he plays Rafael Nadal at a charity tennis match in Cape Town on 7 February 2020… but on the way he has just broken the record in Mexico City!

Broadcaster ESPN claimed a new world record for attendance at a tennis match on Saturday, with more than 42,000 people watching Germany’s Alexander Zverev go down 6-3, 4-6, 2-6 to Federer in an exhibition match in Mexico City.

That smashed an almost decade-old record of 35,681 set at an exhibition game between Belgian Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams in Belgium in 2010.

ESPN put the exact number of fans in Mexico City’s bullring at 42,517.

But not to worry. The Cape Town exhibition tennis match will still hopefully make tennis history and break Federer’s new record! And will be extra special for Federer whose mother is a South African expat.

The SA duel between Federer and Nadal will be staged at the Cape Town Stadium, which has a capacity of 55,000. It will also have the draw of a preceding doubles match in which Federer will partner Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Nadal will play alongside South African comedian Trevor Noah.

Federer posted the below before the record-breaking match:

https://www.facebook.com/Federer/posts/10157711983959941/

(Reporting by Andrew Downie; editing by Jane Wardell/Reuters and Jenni Baxter/SAPeople)