In June 2010, British tennis champion Andy Murray starred in a new advert for Malaria No More UK to raise funds to help save lives in Africa.

The ad was launched in time for Wimbledon and sees the British No 1 on court and ready to play but missing a vital ingredient – a net. Andy goes on to do a series of tricks and turns as he waits for the net, to hit home the message that one net costs £5 and can protect two people from malaria for up to five years.

Watch the ad on www.netsneeded.co.uk.

“I hope people enjoy the ad and take away the serious message behind it. Malaria is a preventable disease yet it still claims the lives of 2,000 people a day in Africa. A disease of that scale here in the UK would be unthinkable and surely the same should apply for Africa. A life saving mosquito net costs less than a pack of tennis balls so please join me, donate and support Malaria No More UK.”
Andy Murray

“The good news is that we are seeing our efforts yield results, malaria is being successfully addressed in many parts of Africa with date rates reduced by 70% in Zanzibar and Zambia and 66% in Rwanda. But the burden of the disease remains formidable, as malaria claims the lives of one in four children in Africa and costs the economy £8 billion a year. We will not rest until we have made malaria no more a reality and I extend my thanks to Andy Murray for his support.”
Ray Chambers, the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Malaria and Malaria No More co-founder

Every year, approximately 2,000 British travellers return home with malaria and the UK is one of the biggest importers of malaria among industrialised countries. The last ten years has seen a 190% increase in travel to malarious destinations from people living in the UK so Malaria No More UK encourages travellers to protect themselves when heading for malaria endemic destinations. Andy Murray adds: “As someone who travels a lot, I’ve met people who have been affected by malaria and here in the UK, I know people who have lost family to the disease, it’s such a tragedy. So if you’re planning to work or holiday overseas this summer and you think there might be malaria, make sure you’re protected and sleep under a net when you’re out there”.

Find out more:

• Watch Andy in action with David Beckham when they fronted Malaria No More UK’s launch at Wembley in 2009 playing tennis and football over the world’s longest tennis net, made out of mosquito netting
• Read about Andy Murray and David Beckham’s visit to Number 10 Downing Street where they met with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and hung a mosquito net over the iconic door of Number 10 Downing Street
• Find out about another tennis player helping to make Malaria No More