CITI OPEN ANNOUNCES IT WILL MATCH ANDY MURRAY'S DONATION OF HIS 2022 PRIZE MONEY TO HELP CHILDREN IN UKRAINE WHILE HE PLAYS IN DC

Citi Open Tournament launches website for fans to donate to UNICEF USA alongside Murray through every round. 

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Citi Open Chairman Mark D. Ein announced this weekend that his foundation and the tournament will match a pledge made earlier this year by three-time Grand Slam winner, and UNICEF Ambassador, Andy Murray to donate all his 2022 winnings to UNICEF's effort to help children in need in Ukraine.  The Citi Open will not only match Murray's prize money in next week's tournament, but also launched a new web site, MatchUkraine.org, to encourage fans in the stadium and all over the world to support efforts in the embattled country by donating with every round he plays. 

"We must do everything we can to help the situation in Ukraine," said Murray. "The most devastating aspect of this horrible tragedy is what is happening to children. I encourage everyone to join in and help these kids. Together, the Citi Open and tennis fans everywhere can stand up and make a difference. I know I will give it everything I have on the court to help UNICEF with their mission to help the children of Ukraine." 

"Andy Murray's efforts to help children in Ukraine inspired all of us and we want to use our platform in Washington to help him do even more," said Ein. "Andy demonstrated why he is one of the most respected leaders in sports when he selflessly stepped up just after the invasion of Ukraine to help millions of children in need—a need that grows with each passing day. We have all seen the tragic toll on innocent children and their families caught in the crossfire. The Citi Open is proud to join Andy in raising funds to help this important cause, and we invite our fans and tennis fans around the world to do the same." 

"Andy Murray is a champion on and off the court," said Michael J. Nyenhuis, CEO and President of UNICEF USA. "The generosity shown by Andy, the Citi Open and tennis fans around the world could not come at a more critical time for children in Ukraine, who are continuing to face unprecedented challenges." 

Through this week, Murray's prize money donation is more than $300,000 and he could make another $342,800, which would then be matched by the Mark and Sally Ein Foundation and the Citi Open, if he wins the title at the Citi Open in the Nation's Capital.

UNICEF's emergency response teams and partners are continuing to deliver safe water to families in communities where water systems are barely functioning. They are providing health care, nutrition and education support where services are severely lacking or have shut down entirely. And they are focusing on protecting children from violence, exploitation and abuse in the face of increased threats of gender-based violence and the risk of harm from mines and other explosive remnants of war. 

The campaign will be promoted on social media and on site at the Citi Open. Murray's first match at the Citi Open is Monday, August 1 at 4pm ET.

Andy Murray, Three-time Grand Slam Champion & Former World No. 1: Andy Murray holds 46 career titles, including the 2012 US Open title and 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon titles. He was the first player to win two Olympic gold medals and was the first British World No. 1 player. This season he reached the finals in Stuttgart and Sydney. Murray will compete in the Citi Open for the fourth time in 2022, where he was a finalist in 2006 and quarterfinalist in 2018. Off the court, Andy has been a global ambassador to UNICEF since 2016.

About Citi Open: The Citi Open® tournament is Washington DC's premier tennis event benefiting the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), the tournament's non-profit owner and beneficiary. The tournament was founded in 1969 by Donald Dell, John Harris and Arthur Ashe in its current location in Rock Creek Park with a vision of making pro tennis accessible for all athletes and fans in the Washington community. Beginning in 2019, venture capitalist and entrepreneur Mark Ein's organization, MDE Tennis, began managing and operating the tournament under an agreement with WTEF. The organization provides underserved children in the D.C. area with a safe environment to learn critical life skills both on and off the courts through academic and athletic enrichment. The Citi Open tennis tournament is one of only five combined tour events in the country, featuring player fields from both the ATP and WTA. The tournament is also one of 13 elite ATP World Tour 500-level events worldwide and the only one held in the United States. Washington is one of the five largest tennis events in the United States, and after 50 years, it is also the longest-running professional tennis event at the same site in the United States.

About MDE Tennis: MDE Tennis, which is part of MDE Sports & Entertainment, oversees operations for Citi Open and the Washington Kastles. Mark D. Ein is the CEO of MDE Sports & Entertainment and MDE Tennis. Ein is an investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, who has created, acquired, invested in and built a series of growth companies across a diverse set of industries over the course of his 30-year career.

During this time, Ein has been involved in the founding or early stages of six companies that have been worth over one billion dollars and has led over $3.0 billion of private equity, venture capital, and public company investments. Ein is the Founder and CEO of Capitol Investment Corporation, Venturehouse Group, LLC and Leland Investment Co.

Ein is deeply dedicated to supporting his Washington area community with active leadership roles on many community, charitable and cultural organizations including currently serving on the boards of the DC Public Education Fund (Chairman), DC College Access Program (DC-CAP), and DC Policy Center (Co-Founder). He formerly served on the Board of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) from 2012-2018 (serving as a Vice President of the Board from 2016-2018). Ein has been a member of the World Economic Forum since 2016, and the Gridiron Club, the oldest and one of the most prestigious journalistic organizations in Washington, D.C.

A native of the Washington, D.C., area and a ball boy in his youth at the city's summer pro tennis tournament that became the Citi Open, Ein is also the Founder and Owner of the Washington Kastles, the most successful team in World TeamTennis history. The Kastles have won the league championship six of its 12 years since its founding and holds the record for the longest winning streak in U.S. pro team sports history winning 34 straight matches from 2011 through 2013. In September 2009, Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty presented Ein with the Key to the City, highlighting his Washington Kastles success on the court and, "for their commitment to the District's communities and our youth."

In September 2018, Ein founded the Washington Justice esports franchise in the Overwatch League, bringing the premier global esports league to the greater Washington, D.C. region. Also, in 2018, Ein acquired the Washington City Paper, the renowned weekly paper serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since 1981. In 2019, Ein took over management and operation of Citi Open in Washington, D.C., one of only five U.S. professional tennis tournaments that include both men's and women's fields.

SOURCE Citi Open