Lahore, Pakistan, June 9, 2020: Pakistani tennis ace Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi has raised more than Rs. 6 million (around US$37,000) at an auction of sporting memorabilia to raise funds for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in his country.
The auction - arranged by the 40-year-old Qureshi’s Stars Against Hunger campaign - was supported by icons Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who both contributed to the cause by donating personal items.
Federer gave a pair of his shoes which were auctioned for US$18,500 while one of Nadal’s shirts went for US$11,300.
Qureshi’s own shirt was auctioned for US$3,000 and two balls signed by Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram were sold for US$3,000 and US$1,500.
Qureshi, who reached the finals of the men’s doubles and mixed doubles at the 2010 US Open and was ranked as high as eighth in doubles in 2011, revealed that a second lot of memorabilia would be auctioned off soon, including more items from Federer and Nadal as well as a racquet belonging to former women’s doubles number one Sania Mirza.
Source: The Nation