Melbourne (AFP)

Tennis superstars Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams will take part in the fundraising exhibition matches for Australia, ravaged by huge fires, the organizers announced on Wednesday.

Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki, Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas will also be playing in these exhibition matches scheduled for January 15 in Melbourne, where the Australian Open is to take place a week later.

The fires that have ravaged the mainland since September and have killed 25 people have triggered a surge of solidarity from sportspeople in the face of this environmental disaster.

World number one Ashleigh Barty has pledged to donate her Brisbane tournament winnings to the Red Cross to help the victims, while the organizers of the ATP Cup, a men's team competition currently being held in Australia, have promised to give 100 Australian dollars (about 62 euros) per ace.

Smoke from the fires once raised fears of postponing or canceling the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, but Australian Federation boss Craig Tiley ruled out the possibility on Tuesday.

© 2020 AFP