Watching Roger in Cape Town is a dream come true, says Federer's mom

Roger Federer's South African mother, Lynette, said Friday's match in Cape Town between her son and Rafael Nadal is a "dream come true".

Lynette, 67, was part of the small crowd on the Grand Parade, in Cape Town city centre, who watched the two tennis stars laughing as they exchanged trick shots and jokes.

The low-key appearance was part of the build-up to Friday night's Match in Africa at Cape Town Stadium, which will take place in front of a world-record crowd of 50,000 and a worldwide television audience.

After posing for family photographs with her son and his father, Robert, Lynette told TimesLIVE she was "very emotional" at the thought of finally watching Federer in action on her home soil.

"I'm very happy that it's finally taking place," she said. "Having it in Cape Town is more than a dream come true."

Lynette said there would be a gathering of Federer's extended family in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon. 

After the photo shoot, Federer and Nadal posed for selfies and signed autographs.

Earlier, Federer visited the Bo-Kaap, the so-called "Malay quarter" popular with Instagrammers for its colourful houses.

On Friday evening, Federer and Nadal will play a doubles match with Microsoft founder Bill Gates and comedian Trevor Noah before their singleas match.

Gates joined them for a practice session on Cape Town's Atlantic seaboard on Thursday.

The main objective of the Match in Africa is to raise money for Federer's education foundation.

Children will also be the focus at a “learning through play” session at Cape Town Athletics Stadium on Friday afternoon.

This will be followed by an open practice session and a press conference on the court that has been built on the Cape Town Stadium pitch.

The evening crowd will be entertained by the Ndlovu Youth Choir, which won millions of fans across the world last year with its performances on America's Got Talent.

There will also be a performance by Cape Town's Zip Zap Circus.

On Thursday, Match in Africa sponsor Moët & Chandon hosted a brunch with Federer at the Belmond Mount Nelson hotel in Cape Town, where the star played tennis on a mini court with Springbok captain Siya Kolisi.