British charity Oxfam can win a windfall of more than £100,000 if Swiss tennis player Roger Federer regains his form and goes on to win his seventh singles title at Wimbledon Championships, which got off to a start on Monday.
The Oxfam windfall is courtesy a bet placed in August 2003 which backed Federer as the potential winner of seven Wimbledon titles before the year 2020. Federer, the defending champion who is top seeded player at the tournament, has won six Wimbledon singles titles till now.
The bet of £1,520 was made by Nicholas Newlife from Kidlington in Oxfordshire at 66/1 odds for Federer to win seven Wimbledon titles before 2020. However, Newlife passed away in February 2009 and left his entire estate to Oxfam.
Federer is 11/8 favourite with bookmaker William Hill to win the singles title in 2010 too. If he fulfils bookies’ predictions and win his seventh title, the bet by Newlife will produce a payout of £101,840 for the charity. “Mr Newlife made arrangements in his will to pass any profit from his bet on to his favoured charity, Oxfam — a unique eventuality in our experience,” William Hill spokesperson Graham Sharpe said.
“We will, of course, be handing the profits from his far-sighted wager to them just as soon as Federer holds the trophy aloft for a seventh time. We cannot see Federer not winning another Wimbledon title before 2019,” Mr Sharpe added.
For the first time ever at Wimbledon, there are no English players in the men’s singles competition.