‘Give back when you get the chance’ – Humanitarian Murray’s advice to young players

The former world No 1 has done some exceptional work this year – on and off the court

Andy Murray at the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters (Federico Pestellini/Panoramic)

December 16, 2022

Andy Murray has been presented with the ATP Tour’s Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for 2022 in recognition of his decision to donate his entire year’s prize money to UNICEF’s humanitarian response in Ukraine.

The 35-year-old made the decision shortly before Indian Wells, meaning the charity received just over $630,000 from Murray’s efforts.

“I thought I could also raise some awareness and hopefully get others involved in helping, too,” he wrote in an essay for ATPTour.com.

“I’m in the fortunate position to try to make some sort of difference, so hopefully the money that’s been raised through UNICEF can help some of the children who have been affected.”

Murray returned to the top 50 in 2022, reaching the final in Sydney and Stuttgart and the semi-final in Surbiton.

Murray: There are things more important than sport

He also urged younger players on the tour to find causes that were important to them and to use their position in the public eye to help.

“When I was younger, in my early 20s, I didn’t really think about anything else except my tennis. As you start to get older and maybe mature a little bit, you realise there are things that are more important than sport.”

He added: “I think that a lot of the young players who are coming through seem like good guys. I’m sure they’re going to be great ambassadors for the sport moving forward. I’d encourage them to try and find some causes that are important to them and mean something to them and to try and give back when they get the chance.”

Tennis Majors

Murray is a longstanding UNICEF UK ambassador, with chief executive Jon Sparkes thanking him in a statement: “Andy’s endless dedication to the role of UNICEF UK Ambassador has seen him support many life-changing fundraising initiatives and advocacy campaigns since he took on the role in 2014. During this time he has launched his exhibition match, Andy Murray Live in 2016, and donated generously to UNICEF’s work around the child migrant and refugee crisis in 2015.

“I know I speak on behalf of everyone at UNICEF UK when I say a huge thank you.”