Andy Murray was awarded the 2022 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award on Thursday in recognition of his efforts in support of Ukraine.
Murray is the fourth player to receive the distinction multiple times (also in 2014), joining Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.
The 35-year-old Brit writes an essay on ATPTour.com detailing the process of his efforts this year, his motivation to get involved in humanitarian work at a younger age and much more.
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In February, while playing in the Dubai tournament, I remember watching the news with my team. There were rumors that something could happen between Russia and the Ukraine, and we said to each other that nothing was going to happen there.
A few days later, when Russia invaded the Ukraine, I think we all worried about what this could mean. When the images showing affected families began to arrive, it was devastating. The shelling destroyed houses and families were displaced. Very young children were affected, along with many injured and killed in other cases. I didn’t know how I could help.
Shortly after, in Indian Wells, I decided that I would donate my prize money from the rest of the season. A total of £510,066 went to UNICEF humanitarian response funds. It was something that gave me extra motivation this year. I thought that this way I could raise awareness and involve other people in it.
There are 7.5 million children in Ukraine. After more than nine months of conflict, 5.2 million of these minors need assistance. UNICEF is working around the clock to keep the little ones safe, ensuring the maintenance of sanitary and protective services, the distribution of basic products and the supply of clean water and nutritious food.
When we see images of children in the news who have been affected, it is even more difficult to digest. I have four young children who are fortunate enough to live in a safe environment. But, as a parent, it affects you in a different way. You try to put yourself in their place. If something like this happened to your own family, how would you deal with it? It’s hard to think.
Anything you can do to help in those situations is valid. Fortunately, I am in a position from which I can make a difference. I hope that the money raised through UNICEF can help some of those children who have been affected.
In situations like this it is important to have empathy and do what you can to help others. When I was younger, shortly after my 20th birthday, I was probably quite selfish and thought about more than just my tennis. As you get older and maybe a bit more mature, you realize the things that are more important than sports.
I realized that it was important to talk about certain important issues or do certain things with charities that impacted me or were important to me. I did some work earlier in my career with one of my best friends, Ross Hutchins, when he was diagnosed with cancer.
Ross, who was also a professional tennis player, called me one day when I was in Abu Dhabi and I froze. I remember sitting in my room for a long time after hearing the news. I was frustrated by the situation and began to think of any way to help him or involve him in something that could make a difference, give him something to hold on to. You don’t expect something like this to happen to one of his best friends, especially someone under 30, as fit and healthy as he was.
It was during this time that I saw the benefits of getting involved in charitable causes. When something happened to someone very close to me, it probably motivated me to do more things as I got older. I saw a great responsibility in speaking up and taking initiatives when given the opportunity. Perhaps when you started on the circuit you were not aware of the importance it has.
In 2014 I became a UNICEF UK Ambassador, and a year later I received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for the first time. It is an honor to receive the award again. The reason to do the right thing is not to receive recognition like this, but it’s nice to see efforts that don’t go unnoticed.
Arthur Ashe was a very special person, so to win an award named after him is a positive thing. He was a great player and has also been recognized for it, but it says a lot about him that his contributions off the court helping others are remembered even more.
Billie Jean King is a tennis person who has done this. She was also an incredible tennis player, but what she has accomplished outside of the sport has been just as exceptional. I think athletes have a responsibility to use her influence in a positive way if they can. Arthur and Billie Jean certainly got it.
I follow in the footsteps of Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi as a two-time winner of this award. Agassi is someone I admired during my childhood and I had the opportunity to meet him when I was younger. I know that he has done great things off the track with his school and he has always tried to do the right thing off the track, trying to help where he could.
Roger is also someone who has done a brilliant job off the court. I know Aisam and he has been involved in peace talks in his region, trying to make a difference. It’s good to see these guys together.
I think a lot of the young players coming through are fantastic guys. I am sure that they will be great ambassadors for the sport in the future. I encourage them to try to find some causes that are important to them, that have meaning, and try to give back to society whenever they can.
We are not all the same, maybe not everyone feels this way, but if you can make a positive impact on the lives of other people outside of sport, simply by doing your work on the court, it is good that athletes do so.
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UNICEF EXALTS MURRAY’S COMMITMENT
Jon Sparkes OBE, Executive Director of the UK Committee for UNICEFissued the following statement appreciating Murray’s efforts towards Ukraine:
“We are extremely grateful to UNICEF UK Ambassador Andy Murray for generously donating the prize money this year to UNICEF UK. This incredible contribution will strengthen UNICEF’s work in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which is having a devastating impact on the lives of the country’s 7.5 million children.
More than nine months of war have left millions of children in need of humanitarian assistance, with destroyed infrastructure and freezing weather condemning the children of Ukraine to an uncertain future. UNICEF works around the clock in Ukraine and neighboring countries to keep children safe, helping them access health and protective services, distributing basic goods and providing clean water and nutritious food.
Andy’s tireless dedication to his role as UNICEF UK Ambassador has seen him support countless fundraising initiatives and awareness campaigns since taking up this role in 2014. During this time he has launched an exhibition match, Andy Murray Live in 2016, and has made generous donations to UNICEF’s work to alleviate the refugee and migrant child crisis in 2015.
I speak for everyone at UNICEF UK in thanking you from the bottom of my heart.”
