Andy Murray aces raise 110,000 euros for children in Syria

Through his initiative, Andy's Aces, the tennis star Unicef UK ambassador Andy Murray has raised an incredible total of more than £83,000 (110,000 euros) from September until the end of 2015.

Britain's Andy Murray serves during a practice session at Melbourne Park, Australia

In September 2015 Murray announced that for every ace he hit until the end of the year he would donate £50 (65 euros) to Unicef to support their work to help children whose worlds have been turned upside down by the conflict in Syria.

His donations were added to by his sponsors, tennis associations and fans. Sponsoring companies Standard Life insurance and Under Armour, along with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) vowed to match each donation Murray made, meaning every ace raised £250 (333 euros) for children in danger.

“I remember watching the news last summer and deciding I wanted to do something to help some of the millions of children whose lives have turned upside down by the situation in Syria,” Murray explained.

The Dunblane-born star, who led Britain to Davis Cup glory last year, added “It’s amazing that we’ve been able to raise so much and I’m very grateful to my sponsors and fans for their help in this. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

The total of over £83,000 (110,000 euros) could provide over 16,000 children with blankets.

“All of us here at Unicef UK are incredibly grateful to Andy for his continued support,” said David Bull, Unicef UK’s executive director. “Almost five years into the conflict, Syria remains one of the most dangerous places to be a child and millions of children have lost loved ones, homes and schools.

“Their world has been turned upside down by the conflict and humanitarian needs are becoming ever more urgent. The support of Andy, his fans and the wider tennis community will help us provide support for children who have lost so much.”