Wimbledon plans statue of British legend
Club confirms tribute to ‘highly respected’ player Federer says retirement ‘hits us top guys hard’
The All England Lawn Tennis Club intends to commemorate Andy Murray’s career with a statue at Wimbledon, matching the famous bronze of Fred Perry that provides a meeting place for thousands of people every year.
The AELTC’S officials are often tight-lipped on their plans, but this was an exception. When Wimbledon chief executive Richard Lewis guested on BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek yesterday, he did not hesitate to confirm Murray’s future recognition through the medium of sculpture.
“For sure, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” said Lewis, when the question of a statue was raised. “We always felt that when Andy retired, that would be the appropriate time to recognise his extraordinary career.
“I am sure something like that will be done, but meanwhile down at the club he is seen as a highly respected person both on and off the court. We are very fond of him and he is a great person to have around the club.”
Murray was due to play what had the potential to be his final professional tennis match soon after 7am GMT today. He was drawn against a challenging first-round opponent in the Australian Open: Roberto Bautista Agut, the 22nd seed from Spain, who beat world No1 Novak Djokovic on his way to the Doha title nine days ago.
Despite his increasing incapacitation by a hip injury, Murray had still raised the vague hope on Friday that he might somehow be able to appear at Wimbledon this year. One possibility he mentioned was a “resurfacing” operation, which would involve applying a metal coating to his troublesome hip joint. But his optimism was not matched yester- day by Dr John O’donnell, the world-renowned hip specialist who performed his arthroscopy just over a year ago. Again, speaking on Sportsweek, O’donnell said: “I don’t think it is impossible, but it will be very difficult.
“He has tried really hard and explored every option that has any real possibility of being helpful. Realistically I don’t think there is anywhere else to go to preserve his hip and get it better so he can continue to play. That won’t happen now.”
Back in Melbourne, Murray could at least take heart from the fact that he has the respect of his peers. There are few upsides to being the first member of the “Big Four” to announce your imminent retirement. But one small advantage is that the other members of the group then have the opportunity to express their admiration.
The tributes have been building up all weekend, both on social media and in the interview rooms of Melbourne Park. But, as so often, no one said it better than Roger Federer.
Holding court yesterday in multiple languages, Federer declared himself “disappointed and sad, a little bit shocked” at the news that Murray will retire from tennis this year. Then he used his position as tennis’s unofficial spokesperson to convey the feelings of the whole locker room.
“It hits us top guys hard because we know Andy very well,” said Federer. “We like him. He doesn’t have any enemies to be quite honest. He’s a good guy, Hall of Famer, legend. He won everything he wanted to win. Anybody would substitute their career with his. He’s a great guy.
“It’s a tough one, but down the road he can look back and be incredibly proud of everything he has achieved.”
Among the super-elite of men’s tennis, Murray probably had a more reserved relationship with Federer than he did with his junior contemporaries Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, simply because of the six-year age gap. But their mutual regard was evident in Federer’s visit to Glasgow at the end of the 2017 season to participate in the charity fundraiser Andy Murray Live.
Federer actually referred to this event yesterday, almost sounding incredulous that Murray has had the resilience to ride out the past 19 months while in such a damaged condition. “It must have been a very long couple of years for him now,” said Federer. “I remember when I played with him in Glasgow, I know how not well he was. I couldn’t believe he played. But it was for a good cause. He felt like he could do the 2½ sets we played.”
The resonance of Murray’s announcement extends beyond his lengthy list of achievements, and his own undoubted popularity. It feels like the first knell of mortality for a whole era of tennis.
Even Federer himself, the sport’s Methuselah at 37, acknowledged in a recent interview that time might be running out. “I have got an idea now of the planning of 2019,” he told a Swiss TV station, “and then later we will see if there is going to be another year or not.”
Meanwhile, Nadal has arrived in Melbourne with a remodelled serve that he has never used in a competitive match – something that the world No2 would surely never consider if he were not looking to take the strain off his body. Bear in mind that, since October 2017, Nadal has withdrawn from 15 hard court events without playing and retired from two more because of injuries sustained on the court.
Only Djokovic continues to forge on, apparently unbothered by the passage of time. Admittedly, he did drop from his incredibly high standards for a couple of years after his career-defining triumph at Roland Garros in 2016, first because of burnout and then because an elbow needed an operation.
But he reclaimed the No1 ranking in November, and is the runaway favourite to win this Australian Open.
Asked how he has survived this long as a top-five player, Federer replied: “I’ve always believed I can play tennis when I don’t train so much. I think that’s been maybe one thing that for me, the confidence I have in my game, even if I don’t play so much, I still feel like I can come up to a good level. Maybe also the way I play tennis, maybe it’s smoother than the other guys.”