Andy Murray: I would never be tempted by Saudi millions

Andy Murray has reiterated that he would never play on a Saudi-run tennis tour, like golf's controversial defectors to the LIV golf series.

Golf has been rocked in recent months by the £2 billion launch of the breakaway series and last week Telegraph Sport revealed that Saudi Arabia is also trying to entice a women’s tour event to their country.

There have been previous examples of exhibition tennis events planned in the gulf state. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal had been due to play a showdown in Jeddah in 2018, before it was called off due to their respective injuries.  

But two-time Wimbledon champion Murray rejected a £1.5million offer to play exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia over concerns about human rights. When asked if he would ever follow in these golfer's footsteps, and accept a "sack full of cash" to play on a different tour, he was unequivocally against the idea.

"They did, they put on an event in Saudi Arabia a few years ago, and I was offered to play there," he said. "I know a number of the other guys on the tour were offered to play there. I don't think the player field that went was what they were hoping. A lot of the, I would say, top players and bigger names turned it down. And I personally wouldn't go and play there."

Murray's comments came on the eve of Wimbledon, where he is hoping to make an impact after a number of years thwarted by injury. 

He appears to have recovered from the abdominal problem that hampered his preparations over the past two weeks, and will open his campaign on Centre Court on Monday against Australia's James Duckworth.

His coach and eight-time major champion Ivan Lendl has been by his side during training sessions at the All England Club this past week. 

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