Andy Murray has raised more than £80,000 to help the charity Unicef protect Syrian refugee children.

The former Wimbledon champion announced in September he would donate £50 for every ace he hit until the end of the year.

The money will help Unicef in its efforts to help children whose lives have been torn apart by the Syrian conflict.

Murray said: “I remember watching the news last summer and deciding I wanted to do something to help some of the millions of children whose lives have turned upside down by the situation in Syria.

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“It’s amazing that we’ve been able to raise so much, and I’m very grateful to my sponsors and fans for their help in this – I couldn’t have done it without them.

“I know how hard Unicef are working to support these children, and millions of others around the world, and I’m proud to have been able to help.”

Murray’s fans supported the initiative and his sponsors, the Lawn Tennis Association and ATP matched his donations through the Andy’s Aces campaign, while the UK Government also matched public donations.

Funds were also raised from the Tie Break Tens tournament and the ATP Aces For Charity programme. The fundraising effort raised more than £83,000, which could provide blankets for more than 16,000 children. Unicef UK executive director David Bull said the charity was grateful for Murray’s support.

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He said: “Almost five years into the conflict, Syria remains one of the most dangerous places to be a child and millions of children have lost loved ones, homes and schools.

“Their world has been turned upside down by the conflict and humanitarian needs are becoming ever more urgent. The support of Andy, his fans and the wider tennis community will help us provide support for children who have lost so much.”

The tennis star has set up a Just Giving page to allow people to donate.