Tennis legend Roger Federer is not just a great athlete, he is a man with a big heart too. When the entire world was suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, players like Roger Federer and NFL veteran Eli Manning stood up for a cause to help the bereaved families and extend support to all the warriors battling the virus.

Back in 2020, the former NFL quarterback Eli Manning and Tennis great Roger Federer surprised a front-line worker, a nurse, on mother’s day, for her contribution to society during hard times.

Christianne Calderon, a practitioner at the New York–Presbyterian Hospital, was speaking to a media outlet about the struggle and the hardships they face while treating coronavirus patients.

She mentions that sometimes they need to act with an athletic mentality without emotions controlling them. That’s when Roger Federer popped up on the screen, delivering his wishes for the nurse.

“People think we, the athletes, are superheroes. But we think the same about somebody like you Christianne. You are the hero because you actually do save lives. You actually do make that difference.” he said in the meet.

As soon as the call dropped and Calderon started narrating her story, another surprise came in the form of Eli Manning. He thanked the nurse for her commitment and passion to save lives.

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“I’d like to be amongst the first to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day. And a sincere thank you for being on the frontline, for your work, your commitment, your selflessness, and I think those describe what a hero is,” Manning said.

Roger Federer donated millions of dollars to the vulnerable families

The 20-times grand slam winner is one of the highest-paid athletes in the sports fraternity. He made sure that during the pandemic, a small chunk of his wealth gets into the houses of bereaved and helpless families.

The veteran donated one million Swiss Francs to families recovering from the global pandemic. “Mirka and I have personally decided to donate one million Swiss Francs for the most vulnerable families in Switzerland.” He wrote back in 2020.

At that time, more than 420,700 were infected with the virus globally, and around 122 deaths were reported in Switzerland. He urged other families to step and consider his donation as a beginning to support such families. Not to mention several others joined him for the cause.

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