Murray turns activist, targets doping, high cost of sport
LONDON: Andy Murray plans to remain outspoken against doping, despite facing a backlash for some of his recent comments on performance-enhancing drugs in tennis.
The No. 2-ranked player was branded “out of order” by Novak Djokovic’s coach, Boris Becker, for saying in a newspaper interview that he wonders whether some players are doping.
Murray said Friday he has cleared the air with Becker but won’t be deterred from speaking his mind if it means protecting the integrity of tennis.
“I think sport in general over the years has sort of had a distrust really because of everything that’s happened over the years,” Murray said as he launched a new charity initiative.
“It’s obviously our job as tennis players and athletes to try to make sure it is as clean as possible. It’s unlikely you are ever going to have a perfect sport but we want as athletes to be competing in one and I will continue to fight for that.”
Murray will stage an “Andy Murray Live “event in Glasgow on Sept. 21 to raise money for local charity Young People’s Futures and UNICEF after becoming an ambassador for the U.N.’s children’s agency.
Murray will play a singles match against Frenchman Gael Monfils at the SSE Hydro Glasgow arena. He will then team up with brother Jamie, the world’s topranked doubles player, to take on Monfils and retired four-time Wimbledon semifinalist Tim Henman.
Half of the 10,000 seats will cost 25 pounds ($36, or approx ` 2,300) or less in a bid to make the event accessible for a Scottish audience that doesn’t get to see top-class tennis tournaments.
“I think that’s always been one of the criticisms really with British tennis — that it is too expensive sometimes,” Murray said in an interview at Wimbledon, where he won the singles title in 2013. “There’s a lot of major tennis events, obviously Queen’s and Wimbledon during the summer, but they can be expensive if you want to see the top players playing. So hopefully making this event a bit more affordable will give the chance for more families and young kids to come along and watch.”
It’s a busy year for Murray, who is grappling with life as a first-time parent after wife Kim Sears gave birth to a daughter, Sophia, two months ago.
Murray is trying to make adjustments to his schedule to spend time at home. Before chasing a second Wimbledon title and defending Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro, Murray will pursue a first French Open title at the May 22-June 5 tournament.