Andy Murray has pledged to donate his prize money for the remainder of 2022 to children affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The conflict has led to more than two million people fleeing the country over the past two weeks, according to figures released by the United Nations.

Tennis' governing bodies, the ATP, WTA, and International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the four grand slam organisers, announced on Tuesday that they are to donate a total of $700,000 to help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Three-time major winner Murray is also doing his bit by working closely with UNICEF – the world's leading organisation helping children in danger – to provide medical supplies and development kits.

"Over 7.5m children are at risk with the escalating conflict in Ukraine," Murray posted on his personal Twitter page.

"It's vital education continues, so UNICEF is working to enable access to learning for displaced children, as well as supporting the rehabilitation of damaged schools, together with replacement equipment and furniture. 

"I'm going to be donating my earnings from my prize money for the rest of the year, but anyone in the UK can support UNICEF's humanitarian response by donating to our appeal."

Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska donated her prize money from last week's run to the Lyon Open final, where she lost in three sets to Zhang Shuai, to help her home country.

Novak Djokovic is delighted to be back in competitive action after he booked his spot in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Djokovic, whose decision not to be vaccinated against COVID-19 caused him to be deported from Australia on the eve of the year's first grand slam, eased to a 6-3 6-3 win over Lorenzo Musetti in his first match and made similarly light work of Karen Khachanov on Wednesday.

The world number one has won in Dubai on five occasions, last doing so in 2020, having elected against defending his title last year.

However, the Serbian is looking good to regain the crown in what is his first tournament on the ATP Tour in 2022, after he was unable to feature in Melbourne. 

Djokovic needed 98 minutes to see off Khachanov 6-3 7-6 (7-2) and tee up a quarter-final tie against qualifier Jiri Vesely.

"I missed it [playing competitively]. This is my life," Djokovic said, with his previous competitive appearances coming in the Davis Cup Finals in November and December.

"This is what I have known for the past 20 years. Tennis is my love. I enjoy bringing positive energy and memories for people who watch."

It was not all plain sailing for Djokovic, who offered up four break points, but the 34-year-old clawed back three of them.

"I was feeling excited and motivated," added Djokovic, who has progressed to the quarters in Dubai every time he has featured at the tournament.

"But also at the same time I was feeling stressed. Particularly at the moments when I was facing break points. I thought the atmosphere in the stadium was terrific."

Djokovic, who will lose his place at the top of the ATP rankings if Daniil Medvedev triumphs in Acapulco, should have little trouble in sealing a semi-final spot, though Vesely does come into that tie on the back of a surprise 6-2 6-4 win over world number 15 Roberto Bautista Agut, who had triumphed in Doha last week.

Murray falls short of landmark win

Second seed Andrey Rublev came from a set down to defeat Kwon Soon-woo 4-6 6-0 6-3, and will go up against American Mackenzie McDonald for a place in the last four.

There was no such joy for former world number one Andy Murray, however, who fell to Jannik Sinner 7-5 6-2.

"It is a special feeling [to share the court with Murray]," said Sinner, who will next face Hubert Hurkacz, a 6-3 6-2 winner over Alex Molcan.

"He is a legend. Winning three grand slams, many, many tournaments and he has had some unfortunate moments with surgeries. His fighting spirit is incredible.

Murray was chasing a 700th tour-level win of his career but failed to muster a single break opportunity against the Italian, who made it to the quarter-finals in Melbourne last month.

Alexander Zverev has apologised for his outburst at the Mexico Open that saw him "withdrawn" from the singles competition for attacking an umpire's chair. 

Zverev and Brazil's Marcelo Melo were in a super tie-break against Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara when they were angered by a call made by the umpire, who overruled a decision from the line judge.

Glasspool and Heliovaara subsequently profited by delivering an ace on match point, which was followed by Zverev quickly walking off and smashing his racquet against the umpire's chair three times.

The world number three then shouted at the umpire that he had "destroyed the whole f****** match" before striking the chair again.

Zverev was due to be in second-round singles action against Peter Gojowczyk, but the ATP Tour confirmed the Olympic champion had been removed from the draw due to "unsportsmanlike conduct".

Former world number one Andy Murray condemned the 24-year-old's "reckless" outburst after his loss to Jannik Sinner, and Zverev has now apologised unreservedly for his raging response.

"It is difficult to put into words how much I regret my behaviour during and after the doubles match yesterday," Zverev wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. 

"I have privately apologised to the chair umpire because my outburst towards him was wrong and unacceptable, and I am only disappointed in myself. 

"It just should not have happened and there is no excuse. I would also like to apologise to my fans, the tournament, and the sport that I love.

"As you know, I leave everything on the court. Yesterday, I left too much. I am going to take the coming days to reflect – on my actions and how I can ensure that it will not happen again. I am sorry for letting you down."

Jannik Sinner saved three match points to avoid a shock defeat to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

After losing the first set, the world number 10 staved off defeat in a nerve-wracking second-set tie-break.

The fourth seed clung on as Davidovich Fokina saw a trio of opportunities to clinch a shock win go begging, the Spaniard made to pay as his Italian counterpart fought back to prevail 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-3.

Sinner, who will next face former world number one Andy Murray, said: "It was a very tough match. I know him, but we've never played against each other.

"It was the first time for both of us and it was a tricky one, saving three match points. On the first one I got lucky because it was out, but not so far [out]."

Second favourite Andrey Rublev won both the singles and doubles titles in Marseille last week and continued his fine form with a 6-4 7-5 win over Daniel Evans that saw the Russian send down 28 winners.

Sixth seed Denis Shapovalov had to recover from a set down to see off Marton Fucsovics, though fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz enjoyed a more routine straight-sets triumph over Alexander Bublik.

Eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut made relatively light work of Arthur Rinderknech but defending champion and seventh seed Aslan Karatsev was stunned 7-5 6-3 by Mackenzie McDonald.

Karen Khachanov needed a little shy of three hours to beat Alex de Minaur, his dubious reward a second-round clash with Novak Djokovic as the world number one continues his return to the Tour following his controversial Australian Open absence.

Novak Djokovic welcomed the "positive" reception he has received from his fellow players, after making his first appearance since missing the Australian Open.

Djokovic, whose decision not to be vaccinated against COVID-19 caused him to be deported from Australia on the eve of the year's first grand slam, eased to a 6-3 6-3 win over Lorenzo Musetti in just 74 minutes at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Djokovic spoke publicly about his vaccination status for the first time in a BBC interview last week, while rival Andy Murray, who has spoken about his support for vaccination on numerous occasions, said that he "didn't like seeing" Djokovic's ordeal in Australia after his own win in Dubai.

Serbia's 20-time Grand Slam winner says that most of his fellow professionals have been supportive upon his return to action.

"So far here most of the players that I’ve seen – I haven’t seen too many players – but most of the players that I've seen have been positive and welcoming", he said after his round-of-32 win.

"It's nice to see, obviously. I can't say that was the case in Australia. It was a little bit strange. But here, it's gone well so far."

The 34-year-old impressed against Musetti, serving five aces, winning 71 per cent of his second serves (17 out of 24) and saving each of the seven break points he faced during his first outing of the year, and Djokovic was also pleased with the reception he received from the fans in Dubai, as well as with his performance. 

"I couldn't ask for a better reception," he added.

"It's been a while since I played, and I couldn't think of a better place to kick-start the season. Thank you for the reception and for welcoming me on court the way you did.

Former world number one Andy Murray did not like how Novak Djokovic was treated in Australia but says the 20-time major winner must live with the consequences of his decisions.

Murray and Djokovic both progressed through the first round at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.

The Serbian's 6-3 6-3 win over Lorenzo Musetti marked his first on the ATP Tour in 2022, coming in the wake of his deportation from Australia due to his vaccination status ahead of the first major of the calendar year.

It remains unclear if Djokovic will be permitted to compete at this year's other majors - the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open - given he remains unvaccinated.

"Like I said at the time, I don't agree with his decision. I think it would be a lot easier for him, obviously, if he was to get vaccinated," Murray told reporters after beating Australian Christopher O'Connell 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 7-5 in Dubai.

"But I also didn't like seeing him in the situation that he was in Australia as someone that I respect and have known since I was a child. I didn't like seeing that.

"There is consequences to the decisions he's made just now. He obviously has to accept that. But I don't think it's great for tennis if our best player is not competing in the major events."

Djokovic admitted after his win over Musetti that, as it stands, he cannot enter the United States to compete at next month's prestigious Indian Wells Masters, let alone the US Open.

The world number one added that he was hopeful the situation may change "in the next few weeks".

Novak Djokovic won his first match back on the ATP Tour since missing the Australian Open, beating Lorenzo Musetti in the round of 32 at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The men's world number one had not played a competitive match since early December and was last month deported from Australia on the eve of the Australian Open.

That decision was a result of Djokovic opting not to join the majority of his tennis peers in getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and amid controversy over how he handled getting the virus himself in December.

On Monday, he eased to a 6-3 6-3 win over Musetti in just 74 minutes in his first match of 2022, hitting five aces, winning an impressive 71 per cent of his second serves (17 out of 24) and saving all seven break points he faced against the Italian.

"All in all, it's a straight-sets win, so of course I have to be satisfied with my tennis, especially after not playing for two-and-a-half, three months," Djokovic said on court after the win.

"Of course, there were moments when I played great, there were moments when I made a couple of unforced errors in a row uncharacteristically. But it's normal to expect that [in my] first match after a while."

Djokovic will play the winner of Karen Khachanov against Alex de Minaur in the last 16.

Andy Murray is also through after a 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 7-5 win against Australian qualifier Christopher O'Connell. The Scot edged a tough match that lasted almost three hours, saving seven of eight break points faced. He will play either Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Jannik Sinner next.

Elsewhere, Jiri Vesely overcame Marin Cilic 6-4 7-6 (7-3), while Filip Krajinovic beat Malek Jaziri 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-4 and Taro Daniel eliminated David Goffin after a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) win.

Andy Murray suffered one of the heaviest losses of his career in the second round of the Qatar Open, while Andrey Rublev escaped an early exit at the Open 13. 

Former world number one Murray went down 6-0 6-1 to last year's runner-up Roberto Bautista Agut in Doha on Wednesday. 

It was just the fourth occasion in which the three-time major champion has lost a match while winning only one game or fewer in his career – the last time being a defeat by the same scoreline to Roger Federer at the ATP Finals in 2014. 

Murray's fellow Briton Dan Evans also endured a second-round loss, going down 4-6 7-5 6-4 to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – Bautista Agut's next opponent. 

Denis Shapovalov bounced back from his first-round loss to Jiri Lehecka in Rotterdam last week by dropping just eight points on serve as he claimed a 6-4 6-0 victory over Alex Molcan inside 52 minutes. 

Next up for the Canadian will be Arthur Rinderknech after the Frenchman came from a set down to defeat seventh seed Alexander Bublik 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-4. 

Nikoloz Basilashvili faced little trouble in overcoming Elias Ymer 6-4 7-5 and his reward is a quarter-final against Marton Fucsovics, who got the better of Kwon Soon-woo. 

Karen Khachanov and Marin Cilic will meet in the last eight after they respectively eliminated Emil Ruusuvuori and Botic van de Zandschulp. 

In Marseille, second seed Rublev was made to work hard for a place in the Open 13 quarter-finals by home hope Richard Gasquet. 

Gasquet went a break up in the third set and, after surrendering his advantage, stopped Rublev serving out the match to force a tie-break. 

However, the world number seven did not waste his next opportunity as he sealed a 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) success. 

Aslan Karatsev also booked his place in the last eight, while there were wins for Frenchmen Benjamin Bonzi and Lucas Pouille too. 

Andy Murray made a winning start at the Qatar Open after defeating Taro Daniel 6-2 6-2 in Doha.

The three-time grand slam winner was beaten in straight sets when he faced Daniel in the second round at the Australian Open last month.

But he avenged that defeat with a dominant display against the world number 110 that saw him prevail in one hour and 20 minutes.

Murray boasts an impressive record at the ATP 250 event, lifting the trophy in 2008 and 2009 while reaching a further two finals (2007 and 2017).

And the 34-year-old wildcard will face second seed Roberto Bautista Agut in round two.

"Taro played very well in Australia," Murray said. "He had a very good run there and was too good for me there. 

"I tried to be the one dictating from the first point, and I thought I did that well. It was one of the better matches I've played in recent months.

"Obviously, the results from years ago aren't going to affect the results this week.

"But what it tells me is that the conditions here are good for my game, so if I can play to a good level, the courts are going to suit me here, and I'll make it difficult for everyone I play against."

Elsewhere, seventh seed Alexander Bublik hit 25 winners – including seven aces – in a 6-2 6-4 victory over Slovakia's Jozef Kovalik.

However, there was no joy for Lloyd Harris; the eighth seed was beaten in straight sets by Hungarian Marton Fucsovics for the second year running.

Over at Open 13 in Marseille, three-time winner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame fellow wildcard Gilles Simon 6-2 6-4 in the battle of the players boasting five titles between them at the event.

But seventh seed Alexei Popyrin lost out in a deciding-set tie-break to world number 163 Roman Safiullin.

Andy Murray suffered defeat in the second round of the Rotterdam Open as he fell in straight sets to Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas progressed. 

Murray, who triumphed at this tournament in 2009, battled past Alexander Bublik in his opening match but struggled to replicate that form against Auger-Aliassime on Thursday. 

The Scot was never in control against the world number nine, who will face Murray's fellow Briton Cameron Norrie in the quarter-final, as he was downed 6-3 6-4 by the third seed. 

"From the start of the match I was ready and focused and I think that is why I was able to produce a high level from the first point," Auger-Aliassime said on court after his victory.  

"He made me bring out my best tennis and I am really happy with the way I played and that I was able to stay ahead. [To] win in straight sets is a great relief." 

Top seed Tsitsipas, who was a beaten semi-finalist in this event last year, made light work of Ilya Ivashka as he raced to a 6-4 6-1 triumph in just one hour and 11 minutes to tee up a last-eight meeting with Alex de Minaur. 

Reigning champion Rublev cruised past Soonwoo Kwon in similar fashion with a 6-3 6-3 win to secure his seventh straight victory at the ATP 500 tournament. 

Meanwhile, qualifier Jiri Lehecka recovered from a first-set scare against Botic van de Zandschulp to succeed 1-6 6-4 6-4, with Lorenzo Musetti awaiting the Czech in the next round. 

Andy Murray set up a second-round clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Rotterdam Open, but fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz was stunned by Lorenzo Musetti. 

Former world number one Murray secured an impressive 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 victory over Alexander Bublik, who entered the tournament on the back of the biggest win of his career over Alexander Zverev in the Montpellier final last week. 

Murray stopped the Kazakh serving out the opening set with a crucial break and appeared in fine form as he closed out the win. 

"There were some tough moments in the first set for both of us. I just managed to come through at the end of it. Some great returns off some big second serves from him at the end and I did a good job," said Murray. 

"It’s not easy playing against someone like that, huge serves, a lot of drop shots and you’ve got to keep your focus and I did that well." 

Up next for Murray is Australian Open quarter-finalist and third seed Auger-Aliassime, who came from a set down to beat qualifier Egor Gerasimov 3-6 6-2 6-2. 

"[Auger-Aliassime] started the year pretty well and is one of the best young players just now," said Murray. "I'll need to be on my game if I want to beat him, but it's a great test for me and we'll see what happens out there." 

Musetti advanced to the quarter-finals after a 6-3 5-7 6-4 triumph over Hurkacz, dropping just one point on his first serve in the decisive set. 

Cameron Norrie defeated Karen Khachanov 6-4 7-6 (7-5) to reach the last eight, while Alex De Minaur was also a 7-6 (8-6) 1-6 6-4 victor against Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.

Andy Murray has decided to skip the entire clay court season, including the French Open, as he feels the surface aggravated "issues" in the past.

Former world number one Murray has endured a torrid time with injuries in the past few years, but he has featured more regularly since the second half of last season.

While he only made it as far as the second round at last month's Australian Open, his preparation for the year's opening grand slam saw him reach a first final on the ATP Tour since October 2019.

He lost to Aslan Karatsev in the decider of the Sydney Classic, going down 6-3 6-3, but the Scot's run to the final provided evidence he still has plenty to offer.

Murray will not be playing in the next grand slam, though.

The eyes of the tennis world will be on Roland Garros in late May and early June, but Murray is opting to miss that and every other event on clay for fear of worsening his condition, with Wimbledon scheduled to begin on June 27.

"Right now, I am not planning on playing through the clay," the three-time grand slam winner said.

"The past couple of years, the clay has made issues worse; last year I had some issues at the beginning of the year, the clay didn't help, so I've spoken to my team about that and this year while I feel good and healthy, I don't want to take that risk.

"It's not that I wouldn't potentially play on clay in the future. Last year I almost missed Wimbledon, was close to not playing the grass season. I'm not planning on playing the clay. I will still try to compete a bit during that period, I won't do nothing, that's my plan just now.

"I had a busy end of last year and the next couple of months I won't take any risks and hopefully get a good build up to the grass season."

Murray parted ways with long-term coach Jamie Delgado in December and then decided against making Jan de Witt a permanent member of his team following a trial period leading up to and through the Australian Open.

The 34-year-old is now once again working with Dani Vallverdu, Stan Wawrinka's coach, having teamed up with him between 2010 and 2014.

But Murray accepts the situation is far from ideal, with Vallverdu only available while Wawrinka continues his rehabilitation from a foot injury that has kept him out since March last year.

"It's not been easy to find someone," Murray added.

"Obviously, Stan Wawrinka has been rehabbing for quite a long time and is hopefully coming back to the tour, but he agreed for Dani to come and work with me for a few weeks over the next month or so, which is great for me in the short term, but still trying to find a longer-term solution.

"It's not that straightforward, I'm not as in demand as a few years ago. Ultimately, I want it to be the right person. I'm aware there's no perfect setup, but medium, longer term I want some stability and will try and get that in the next few weeks."

Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner have been replaced by Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the upcoming Rotterdam Open.

World number two Medvedev lost a thrilling five-set Australian Open final to Rafael Nadal on Sunday and does not feel ready to compete in the Netherlands.

The Russian explained his decision in a statement on Thursday, while Sinner has had to pull out due to COVID-19.

"Unfortunately I will not play in Rotterdam this year," Medvedev said. 

"I just got back from Australia and am not ready to compete. Rotterdam is one of the favourite stops. I look forward to coming back in the future."

Roberto Bautista Agut and Borna Coric had already pulled out of the competition. Tournament director Richard Krajicek has confirmed that Murray and Tsonga, who won the event in 2009 and 2017 respectively, will now take part as wild cards.

Andrey Rublev is the reigning champion in Rotterdam after beating Marton Fucsovics in last year's final.

Taro Daniel delivered a fine display as he defeated former world number one Andy Murray in straight sets at the Australian Open.

Murray, a five-time finalist in Melbourne, defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1 3-6 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 in his first-round match on Tuesday, yet the Scot was no match for Japan's Daniel two days later.

Perhaps fatigue played its part, with Murray struggling to find his rhythm against the qualifier, who is ranked 120th in the world.

Murray had never before lost to a player ranked as low as Daniel, who has reached the third round of a grand slam for the first time.

Daniel sealed a 6-4 6-4 6-4 success with a neat backhand volley, taking the match at the first time of asking.

Murray, who had been targetting a "deep run" in the tournament, walked off court in disgruntled fashion, offering a quick acknowledgement to the crowd after his first appearance in the season's opening major since 2019.

Asked in his post-match news conference if he planned to return to Melbourne next year, Murray told reporters: "Yes, but not if I do what I did tonight too often.

"I want to perform well on the big events and what I did tonight was not good enough. Reaching the second round of grand slams doesn't particularly motivate me."

While Murray was far from the level he displayed against Basilashvili, Daniel's performance was more than worthy of victory.

"Winning a big match like this is unbelievable," the 28-year-old said. "It was an amazing level from me, I was getting nervous in the third set.

"I tried not to make a big deal about this – everyone said I was playing Murray – but I tried to treat it like another match."

Murray, meanwhile, did not use fatigue as an excuse.

"I felt alright physically so I was pleased from that perspective," he said. "I just made way too many errors on the court."

The statistics back up Murray's claim. He won just two out of 11 break points and made 49 unforced errors, with Daniel only making 21.

Daniel struck 12 aces to Murray's seven, recording a first-serve win percentage of 79.

Murray's first-serve win percentage was down at 66, while he also made three double faults to Daniel's two.

Andy Murray knows it would have been easy to retire from tennis after his hip surgery but is instead revelling at being able to compete at the Australian Open once again.

Former world number one Murray is featuring in the season's first grand slam for the first time in three years.

In true Murray fashion, he overcame Georgian 21st-seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in five sets in a mammoth first-round tie to set up a clash with Japan's Taro Daniel on Thursday.

That Murray is here at all is remarkable given the scenes in 2019 when the now 34-year-old gave an emotional news conference following a first-round defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut questioning whether he would be able to continue playing.

Speaking about his Melbourne return, Murray told BBC Sport: "To be finally back at the Australian Open again this year, playing on the same court as 2019 and then beating Basilashvili in five sets, was a brilliant experience.

"In 2019 it didn't feel like it was me out there on the court. I was severely hampered physically and had little to no preparation. I didn't know if I was going to be able to play again.

"After the hip surgery, and loads of stops and starts with more niggles, playing in grand slams again is a place which I have worked so hard to get to.

"It would have been easy to stop playing, but I kept trying and trying. I'm proud of that work and effort."

Murray was unable to compete in Melbourne in 2021 after testing positive for COVID-19.

"There was another setback last year when I couldn't come to Australia because I tested positive for coronavirus shortly before I was supposed to fly out," he continued.

"That was brutal for me. I had trained really hard through the end of November and December, I was playing really well. I had played lots of practice, I felt really fit and then that positive test happened. I was gutted.

"I was healthy, I'd just had the virus and recovered from it. I understood the rules and situation here in Melbourne but I just wished I would have been able to play."

Murray reached the final of the Sydney Classic earlier in January, eventually going down to Alan Karatsev 6-3 6-3. It was just the second ATP Tour-level final he has reached since the start of 2019.

Now, the three-time major winner is hoping to push on after that morale-boosting success over Basilashvili.

"Beating Basilashvili was a big win for me," Murray added. "A lot of work has gone into getting back to this tournament and to physically compete at the highest level, so beating a guy ranked in the top 25 and winning a match in five sets was very satisfying.

"I'm probably never going to move as well as I did as I did when I was 25.

"But the more matches I play, staying healthy for a long period of time and not missing lots of training, means I am going to continue to improve my movement. Then, my physicality on the court will get better."