Olympic champion Monica Puig has confirmed she will travel with Maria Sharapova to Puerto Rico to support the humanitarian effort in the aftermath of a series of storms devastating the territory.
A month ago hurricane Maria caused serious destruction to Puerto Rico and has left thousands of people homeless. According to fema.gov, 85% of the area is still without electricity. At least 48 people have died and over 100 are missing.
“I’m a little nervous to go back home and see what has happened. Because in the middle of this year I went home and when I was landing, you always see so many beautiful things and I’ve seen pictures and I don’t really recognise the Puerto Rico in the pictures. Hopefully it’s not the case.” Puig told reporters in Luxembourg.
Puig has been heading a campaign to raise money to support those affected. She has so far raised over $132,000 in a fundraising campaign on youcaring.com, which has been shared over 19,000 times online. She has also been supported by other fellow tennis players. Nick Kyrgios has promised to donate $50 per ace he hits on the tour. Meanwhile, Sharapova is also donating all of the profits she makes from her Sugarpova business.
“It was amazing to see the support from other players and to see how much they really cared about what was going on. I’m the only tennis player from Puerto Rico, so I don’t really have that many people backing me as far as countrywomen playing in this sport, so it’s nice to see not just the WTA but the ATP also reaching out and for me it definitely meant a lot.“
Helping those in need
Next week Puig and Sharapova will return to Puerto Rico. Last December the two played an exhibition match at the Coliseu de Puerto Rico, which attracted over 12,000 spectators. This time there will be no friendly rivalry between the two on the court. Instead, their focus is on helping support those struggling following the storm.
35% of the population still haven’t got access to clean water and 45 out of 70 hospitals are operating without electricity. CNN Money estimates that the cost of the damage ranges between $45 billion to $90 billion.
“I will go with Maria on Monday – to Puerto Rico, so we will both be helping out. I also really like the fact that she’s contributing, especially after the warm welcome that Puerto Rico gave her.” Said Puig.
“I know that they will welcome her back with open arms as well and we’re just gonna try and do what we can to help the island.“
“We have supplies on the way to Puerto Rico and once we get there we’re gonna be there to distribute and to tend to the people in need and to go to the most affected towns and see the people, listen to them and give them hope.”
Puig is currently playing in the Luxembourg Open. On Tuesday she stunned top seed Angelique Kerber in straight sets to progress to the second round. It is the first time this season that the 24-year-old has defeated a top-20 player on the tour.
