Canberra's Nick Kyrgios has pledged to donate $200 for every ace he hits during the Australian summer of tennis to victims of the bushfires that have devastated large areas of the country.
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Kyrgios raised the idea of staging a charity exhibition match on Twitter on Wednesday to raise funds ahead of this month's Australian Open, quickly gaining widespread support.
The often maligned star went a step further on Thursday night, pledging his own financial support to the cause.
"I'm kicking off the support for those affected by the fires. I'll be donating $200 per ace that I hit across all the events I play this summer. #MoreToCome #StayTuned," Kyrgios tweeted.
Alex de Minaur offered to go $50 higher.
And John Millman got in on the act, too.
Tennis Australia on Thursday indicated its desire to follow through on Kyrgios' charity exhibition idea.
Speaking on Thursday ahead of Australia's ATP Cup tie against Germany on Friday, Kyrgios said: "The more exposure [a charity exhibition] gets I think we have the potential to do something pretty special there.
"All the heartbreak this summer, it's pretty tragic what's going on, especially with my hometown, Canberra, being under a bit of smoke, the most hazardous smoke in the world at the moment. To see Canberra like that, it's pretty tough to see."
On Thursday morning Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said the public should "stay tuned" for the announcement of a number of initiatives, beginning at the inaugural ATP Cup to be played between Sydney, Perth and Brisbane from Friday.
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Many of the game's headline acts, including world No.1 Rafael Nadal and No.2 Novak Djokovic, are in Australia to play in the newly-minted teams event ahead of the year's first grand slam at Melbourne Park.
Last year Kyrgios, John Millman, Nadal and Milos Raonic played an exhibition match in Sydney in a Team Australia vs Team World Fast4 format.
Australian ATP Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt said the Australian Open's status as one of the country's biggest events meant they had a platform to provide significant support.
"Christmas and the new year should be a happy time for these families and lots of these people are doing it pretty tough out there," he said.
"So I think all of us feel like we would like to help in some way."
