By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday May 6, 2020
Some of tennis’ top stars, including WTA World No.1 Ashleigh Barty, 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, two-time Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka, doubles legends Mike and Bob Bryan and teenage wunderkind Coco Gauff, are saluting the real heroes of the Coronavirus pandemic:
The health care workers that are selflessly putting themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe.
In an historic joint effort between 15-plus sports leagues, 30-plus top celebrity athletes, players are paying tribute to the medical workers that inspire them--the real heroes.
#TheRealHeroes started when fifteen major sports executives collaborated on a series of Zoom calls that enabled them to recruit a power-packed team of 30+ world-class athletes and celebrity athletes from across 15 major sports leagues that includes NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, NFL star Drew Brees, MLB star Aaron Judge and American soccer star Carly Lloyd.
The 15 leagues involved in the movement--WTA, ATP, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL, USGA, WNBA, WWE and esports Overwatch League, Call of Duty League and Electronic Arts--will all be mobilizing on social media on Wednesday May 6, in conjunction with #NationalNursesDay.
Fans can log onto social media and support this initiative by using the hashtag #TheRealHeroes. See messages from your favorite tennis players below: