"It'd be awesome" - John McEnroe calls for Wimbledon to build a statue of Andy Murray
John McEnroe, the former American player, thinks that Wimbledon should build a statue of Andy Murray. McEnroe believes the Brit has changed the way people look at British tennis, and a statue around the grounds of the most prestigious tennis tournament in the country would be "awesome."
Murray is the only British men's tennis player to win the Wimbledon title in the Open Era. In 2013, Murray put an end to a 77-year wait for the Brits, as the last British man to win the title was Fred Perry in 1936.
Murray has an exceptional record at SW19. He is a four-time semifinalist (2009, 2010, 2011, 2015), a one-time runner-up (2012), and a two-time champion (2013 and 2016) at the Grasscourt Slam.
American tennis legend McEnroe, who is no stranger to winning a Wimbledon title as he has won three in his career, believes Murray's achievements deserve an honour. If the decision to build Murray a statue at Wimbledon lay with McEnroe, he would go for it.
“If I was making that decision, I would say absolutely, yes, because that’s a long drought, 77 years,” said McEnroe, according to inews.
“He’s absolutely changed the way people look at British tennis. He’s one of the greatest competitors that I’ve ever seen play tennis," McEnroe stated.
“It would be well deserved, and it’d be awesome, because two of his three grand slam wins were at Wimbledon plus the Olympics. So that would seem to make a whole lot of sense,” he added.
The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club has honored six British tennis players, including Fred Perry, Virginia Wade, Kitty Godfree, Dorothy Round, Angela Mortimer, and Ann Jones, with statues around the Wimbledon grounds.
In 2019, Richard Lewis, the then-chief executive, flirted with the idea of building a statue for Murray. It might not be long before one is built for the two-time Wimbledon champion.
Andy Murray undecided on Wimbledon 2024 participation
The 37-year-old Andy Murray is in the last lap of his illustrious career. He had earlier mentioned that he would be retiring later this year and that playing at Wimbledon or the Olympics would be a fitting farewell tournament.
However, his participation in the 2024 Wimbledon is still up in the air. A recent report stated that the Brit had undergone surgery for a back issue and it would not be possible for him to play at SW19. Murray's team refuted the claims and said that the player was still undecided.
The three-time Grand Slam champion has also been selected as part of the Great Britain team for the upcoming Paris Olympics.