Australia’s Nick Kyrgios has vowed to donate $50 for every ace he hit for the remainder of the season to a fundraising campaign created by Monica Puig.
Olympic champion Puig has already raised over $100,000 for her home country Puerto Rico, which has been devastated by hurricane Maria. At least 34 people have died and an estimated $90bn worth of damage has been caused. Almost the entire island loss electricity and thousands of people have been without water. To make matters worse, Puerto Rico is also in a financial crises with an estimated $9bn in debt.
Earlier this week, Kyrgios wrote on social media that he will be donating $10 for every ace he hits this year. On Thursday he increased his pledged to $50 for every ace he hit to support Puig’s campaign.
“I’m upping my offer to help Monica Puig raise money for #DonateWithMonica to $50 per ace. This is to help the great people of Puerto Rico recover after the terrible destruction after hurricane Irma. Let’s do what we can.” Kyrgios wrote on his Facebook account.
Maria Sharapova has also lent her support to the fundraiser. The former world No.1 played against Puig last year in an exhibition event in Puerto Rico. She will donate all profits she makes from her Sugarpova confectionery business. The company was started in 2012 following a $500,000 investment from Sharapova.
“Less than 12 months ago I visited the beautiful island of Puerto Rico as the guest of Monica Puig for her exhibition match. I fell in love with the island, the people and the culture. From a distance, it is incredibly devastating to see how much the island and people are suffering. I have been following all the amazing and heartfelt work Monica has been doing for the island and I will continue to support her fund raising efforts.” Sharapova said in a statement.
Puig vows to support her homeland
In an heartfelt piece written for Sports Illustrated, Puig praised members of the tennis world for supporting her. In the article she spoke about how the disaster has given her a ‘reality check’ on life. Since winning the Olympics, Puig is yet to win another title and is currently ranked 68th in the world.
“I won the Olympics in 2016 and now I’m at rock bottom, but then all of a sudden something like Hurricane Maria happens and it gives you a reality check.” She explained.
“As tennis players, it’s easily to get wrapped up in this sport, but there are so many more people that we need to think about and realize that this world needs people to pay attention.”
Puig is under no illusion about the tough future Puerto Rico faces. The BBC reported on October 2nd that only one out of 69 hospitals are fully operational. It is for this reason why she plans to embark on other activities to raise money, discussing opportunities with her agent.
“It doesn’t matter if we rebuild Puerto Rico in a day; I know the emotional pain will still be there because a lot of people lost their homes and that hits hardest. Now it’s about trying to get them to believe and to have that spirit that things will get better and that with time, everything will heal.”
You can donate to Puig’s campaign at https://www.youcaring.com/victimsofhurricanemariainpuertorico-956371
