So much for Andy Murray's plans.
The world's top-ranked tennis player had planned to donate his winnings from the Aegon Championships to victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy that has so far claimed the lives of 79 people. But in his first-round match today, he lost, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, to Jordan Thompson, ranked 90th in the world.
Murray and his managers declined to comment on a planned donation, which could have topped $440,000 had he won the Wimbledon warmup for the sixth straight year.
This is nothing new for Murray, who donated £73,000 in Queen's winnings in 2013 to the Royal Marsden Centre, where his Davis Cup doubles partner, Ross Hutchins, was treated successfully for Hodgkin's lymphoma. (The status of the tournament has been upgraded, which accounts for the disparity in the winner's purse.) Murray also helped put on a Rally Against Cancer that featured former London mayor Boris Johnson, Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne and comedian Michael McIntyre.
Murray was knighted in January, both for contributions on and off the court and "for services to tennis and to charity."
