Jay Chou to play at Australian Open, will donate million dollar prize money to charity if he wins

It is no secret that Jay Chou is obsessed with tennis. Just check out his Instagram, where the Mandopop King regularly shares about his tennis journey.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday (Jan 12), Chou surprised fans when he announced that he would be “competing” at the Australian Open.

He also added that if he wins, he will donate the entire A$1 million (S$862,500) prize money to charity.

Before anyone starts picturing Chou lifting a Grand Slam trophy besides the greats, let’s clarify. He is participating in the tennis tournament's special exhibition event called 1 Point Slam, a fast-paced, winner-takes-all format where a single point decides the match.

Yes, one point only.

Designed to inject fun into the tournament, 1 Point Slam is meant to attract younger audiences to the sport.

Of course, Chou is fully aware of this and wasted no time managing expectations, stating that the match could be over in under a minute.

He even thinks that he might get knocked out before even touching the ball, adding that his game plan is to serve first.

“At least I will get to hit the ball once,” he joked in an Instagram Story.

However, he also advised overseas fans not to splurge on airfare just for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it match.

“So, there’s no need to fly all the way here,” he wrote, though he encouraged fans in Australia to turn up and cheer him on.

Many fans have since cheered him on in the comments.

One even appealed to his competitors: “It’s for a good cause. Please let Jay win.”

This story was originally published in 8Days.

For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/

Click here to read article