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Murray to donate Queen's Club winnings to charity
Andy Murray will donate his winnings from this week’s Queen’s Club Championships to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.
At least 79 people are dead or missing and presumed dead following the blaze that tore through the 24-story apartment block in west London, police have said.
The world No. 1 suffered a surprise first-round defeat to Australian Jordan Thompson Tuesday and his earnings for losing in the opening round will be about £12,000 ($15,120).
Total donations to the fund now stand at more than £1.3 million ($1.65 million).
A spokesman for Murray told CNN he was unable to comment.
Sporting donations
Queen’s Club is situated just two miles from from Grenfell Tower and it’s not the first time Murray has used the pre-Wimbledon warmup tournament to help a charitable cause.
After winning the trophy in 2013, Murray donated his prize money to the Royal Marsden Hospital, which treated fellow British tennis player Ross Hutchins for cancer.
At the end of that year’s tournament, Murray also played in a charity doubles match alongside his coach Ivan Lendl, former British No. 1 Tim Henman and Czech player Tomas Berdych, before taking part in an all-star celebrity match that featured Boris Johnson and Richard Branson.
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The following year, Murray played in the “Rally for Bally” in memory of Elena Baltacha, the British tennis player who died of liver cancer in 2014.
A number of footballers as well as Ascot Racecourse have also pledged donations to support the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Arsenal’s Spanish defender Hector Bellerin has said he will give £50 for every minute he plays at the European Under-21 Championship in Poland.
If tournament favorites Spain win the tournament, Bellerin’s donation could reach £22,500 ($28,000), while Manchester City midfielder Raheem Sterling has also promised to give “a substantial sum.”
Ascot Racecourse, which hosts Royal Ascot this week, is also making a donation of £100,000 ($126,000) to a number of charities supporting the victims of the disaster.
