Coronavirus: Rafael Nadal and Alberto Contador auction memorabilia for Spanish Red Cross

Rafael Nadal and Alberto Contador are auctioning memorabilia to raise money for the Spanish Red Cross' fight against the coronavirus.

Tennis great Nadal is selling the shirt he wore when he won the 2019 French Open while Cycling star Contador is auctioning his bike from the 2011 Giro d'Italia and Tour de France.

Seven-time grand tour winner Contador, who retired in 2017, and 19-times Grand Slam winner Nadal made the announcements on Twitter.

"Hello everyone, we are still struggling with this COVID-19 and I want to make one more effort. I will auction this original Giro-Tour 2011 bike, which is very special for me. The proceeds will go to #cruzrojaresponde," Contador said.

The 37-year-old, who won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009, was stripped of his 2011 Giro d'Italia title following a positive test for clenbuterol on the 2010 Tour.

In addition to his Tour titles, Contador won the Giro in 2008 and 2015 and the Tour of Spain in 2008, 2012 and 2014.

The bike, initially listed for auction with a price of €2,500 (Dh9,983), was at €12,400 on Wednesday afternoon.

Nadal, the world No 2, was looking to win a record-extending 13th French Open title this year, which would have put him level with Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slam singles titles.

However, the year's second Grand Slam was postponed from its May start to September because of the pandemic.

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