Prior to the match the head of state had a meeting with the famous tennis players, during which he stressed the importance of their visit for the further development of tennis in our country.
- This is a great event for young Kazakhstan sportsmen. You made possible for them to play with you, which is a significant stimulus for them. You could see our country and visit the emblematic facilities of the capital, - the President of Kazakhstan said.
Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed that a great work was being done in our country in order to popularise tennis, which had no tennis traditions before.
In turn, the players thanked for the invitation, having noted that that was a great honour for them to visit Kazakhstan. They expressed hope that their visit and the match would heighten interest in tennis in our country.
At the end of the meeting R.Nadal presented his racket to the head of state.
Rafael Nadal is a Spanish tennis player, a winner of 14 Grand Slam singles titles, the 2008 Olympic champion in singles, a winner of the «Golden Slam». He is also a member of the Spanish team, which is a three-time winner of the Davis Cup.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a French tennis player, who is a winner of 15 ATP titles and the 2012 Olympic silver medalist in men’s doubles. He is also a member of the French team, which is a winner of the 2014 Hopman Cup.
