"Unlike Novak Djokovic, I don't think Andy Murray needs to be perfect to have a send off at Wimbledon" - Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick has said that, unlike Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray does not need to achieve a state of perfection to receive a send-off at the Wimbledon Championships. According to Roddick, Murray deserves a fitting farewell at the tournament where he monumentally broke the dominant Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic's collective chokehold on men's tennis. Murray's first Wimbledon title also broke British men's tennis' 77-year run without a singles champion.
Murray suggested earlier this year that he would hang up his racquet after the summer swing of the ongoing tennis season comes to its conclusion. However, a recent cyst removal surgery on his back complicated things.
The former World No. 1 is yet to decide on whether he will play a part at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, but he had every intention to do so, considering that this could very well be his last SW19 outing as a player. Murray's 2024 Paris Olympics hopes also look seemingly dashed at this point. Meanwhile, Djokovic, one of the Brit's greatest rivals, continues to harbor glorious ambitions.
The Serb too had to undergo surgery to treat a torn meniscus in his right knee; an injury he sustained at this year's French Open. However, the 24-time Grand Slam winner has seemingly made a swift recovery and has even declared that he will only feature at Wimbledon if he feels confident about going all the way. Djokovic also made it clear that he does not plan on retiring anytime soon, even though this year's Wimbledon could be his last as well.
Roddick recently assessed the contrasting situations of Djokovic and Murray on an episode of the Served With Andy Roddick podcast. The 2003 US Open champion opined that Murray deserves to be honored by Wimbledon for everything he has achieved throughout his illustrious career, especially his title triumphs at SW19.
The Brit's first Wimbledon crown came in 2013 when he defeated Djokovic at the last hurdle. It marked the first time since 2002 that someone other than Federer, Nadal or Djokovic had won the grasscourt Major. He won it again in 2016 by downing Milos Raonic in the final.
"All I continue to want is for Murray to have the send off at Wimbledon, because I don't think people understand, even casual tennis fans, how monumental him winning Wimbledon in that country was at the time that he won it. And all I want is for this extended respect, to have that moment to say goodbye on his terms," Roddick said (10:05).
However, Roddick said that Murray's chances of appearing at this year's Wimbledon Championships appear slim due to the recent back surgery that the Brit underwent.
"As of now it doesn't look like it's going to happen, based on this procedure that he had on his back this week. The timeline seems very short for him to be able to participate in Wimbledon, and I know he'll do everything he possibly can," Roddick added.
The 2003 US Open champion concluded by expressing his "projection" that while Djokovic intends to feature at Wimbledon only if he is "perfect", Murray's circumstances are entirely different.
"Unlike Novak, I don't think he needs to be perfect to have a send off. I don't think it's like, 'I need to feel like I can win the tournament or I'm not participating.' I don't think that would be his mindset. It's purely projection. I don't know. He's earned the goodbye. He's earned every possible advantage, scheduling, anything they can do to accommodate him," Roddick concluded.
John McEnroe recently said Andy Murray deserves to be honored by Wimbledon with a statue
Another American yesteryear tennis superstar John McEnroe recently said that Wimbledon building a statue of Andy Murray would be "well deserved". According to McEnroe, he would gladly do it himself if it were up to him to honor the Brit's achievements at the tournament and his immense contribution to tennis in general.
"If I was making that decision (of building a statue of Murray at Wimbledon), I would say absolutely, yes, because that’s a long drought, 77 years. 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. 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," McEnroe said.
Murray's mother Judy recently remained defiant in the face of the British media's claims that the Brit has been ruled out of Wimbledon. She took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her disappointment at a trusted confidante for allegedly "leaking" confidential information about Murray's health.