Tennis star Murray pledges prize money to Ukraine war victims

Former world number one Andy Murray has said he would donate his prize money from tennis tournaments for the rest of the year to UNICEF's Ukraine appeal.

The British player said that he was working with the United Nations children's agency to help victims of the conflict following Russia's invasion of its neighbour late last month.

"Over 7.5m children are at risk with the escalating conflict in Ukraine, so I'm working with @UNICEF_uk to help provide urgent medical supplies and early childhood development kits," Murray tweeted on Tuesday.

"It's vital education continues, so UNICEF is working to enable access to learning for displaced children, as well as supporting the rehabilitation of damaged schools, together with replacement equipment and furniture," he added.

He also said he will donate his earnings from the prize money for the rest of the year, and asks everyone in the UK to support UNICEF's humanitarian response by donating to their appeal.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, recorded more than two million refugees on its dedicated website on Tuesday and UNICEF believes hundreds of thousands of them are youngsters.

The 34-year-old Scot, currently ranked 88th in the world, has been able to train and play consistently but his recent results have been disappointing apart from a run to the final of the ATP Tour event in Sydney in January.

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