Andy Murray isn't about to follow in the path of some of the world's top golfers after revealing he turned down the chance to earn big money in Saudi Arabia.
Murray, 35, is currently preparing for Wimbledon next week, having recovered from an abdominal injury that forced him to miss the warm-up event at Queen's. On Monday, he'll follow Emma Raducanu onto Centre Court for his first-round match with Australian player James Duckworth.
On Saturday, the three-time Grand Slam champion spoke to the media ahead, but as well as tennis matters, the controversial LIV Golf Invitational tour was also on the agenda. And the Scot was asked if his own sport could face a similar crisis to the one engulfing the PGA Tour.
“They did," he candidly replied. "They put on an event in Saudi Arabia a few years ago, and I was offered to play there. A lot of the top players turned it down. I personally wouldn't go and play there."
Murray's statement starkly contrasts the behaviour of some of two of Britain's most iconic golfers, with both Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter having signed up for the rebel tour. And the pair were given a tough time by journalists before playing in LIV's inaugural event at The Centurion Club this month.
Ryder Cup icon Poulter, 46, was asked: “Is there anywhere in the world you wouldn't play? If Vladimir Putin had a tournament, would you play there?” Looking flustered, he awkwardly responded: “That's just speculation, I'm not even going to comment on speculation."
Westwood, 49, didn't get off lightly either, quizzed on whether he would have played in Apartheid South Africa if the money was right. Like Poulter, he avoided answering, saying: “You are just asking us to answer hypothetical questions now.”
Along with the British pair, who are now banned from playing in PGA Tour events, Phil Mickleson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Sergio Garcia are other star names to have defected. The inaugural event was won by South African Charl Schwartzel, who received £3.26 million in prize money.
The stance of Murray, who came close to retiring from his sport in 2019 before undergoing a second bout of hip surgery, has been well received on social media. @mark_1367 asked: "Is that the difference between being motivated by legacy or money??"
@Fantasio added: "Conscience. Andy Murray refused millions to play an exhibition match for the Saudis," while @josh_j1994 said: "Any story concerning sports teams/people and Saudi Arabia I always remind myself that Andy Murray turned down a high seven figure fee to compete in an exhibition there."
Tennis however, has had its own explosive sagas to deal with in 2022, with Novak Djokovic's refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19 causing mass division, and costing him his place at the Australian Open. And Wimbledon has been tainted by the ATP's decision to strip the iconic grass-court event of ranking points.
That follows the All England Tennis Club banning Russian and Belarusian players from taking part, amid the war in Ukraine. That ruling was initially criticised by three-time Grand Slam champion Murray, who blamed the UK Government for intervening.
