Andy Murray retired from tennis in August 2024, signing off on a glittering career that saw him lift the US Open, lead Great Britain to a Davis Cup victory, and clinch two Olympic gold medals. But it was his triumph at Wimbledon in 2013 that truly made history, ending the country’s 77-year wait for a male singles champion. He followed that up with a second Wimbledon title in 2016. Now, the All England Club wants to honor those “special” moments. And what better way to do that than a statue? But this move isn’t sitting well with everyone.

Recently, Roland Garros honored its king. Rafael Nadal, the 14-time French Open champion, received a brand-new tribute—a plaque etched with his footprint, now permanently installed on the red clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier. The Spaniard already has a statue there, a rare honor for a non-French athlete. That ceremony had tennis royalty in full attendance. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and yes, Andy Murray too, were all present to celebrate Nadal’s legacy.

Now Wimbledon is taking a page out of that book. The All England Club plans to celebrate the man who won its men’s singles title in 2013 and 2016. Speaking on the Ainslie + Ainslie Performance People podcast, chair Debbie Jevans revealed that discussions are already underway.

“We are looking to have a statue of Andy Murray here \[at Wimbledon] and we’re working closely with him and his team. The ambition is that we would unveil that at the 150th anniversary of our first championship, which was 1877. He’s got to rightly be very involved in that, and he and his team will be,” Jevans said.

But the announcement didn’t sit well with everyone.

Fans react to Wimbledon’s tribute to Andy Murray

Some fans think Andy Murray’s getting a statue is a snub to others who’ve achieved more at Wimbledon. They took to social media to air their disappointment.

One fan wrote, “Wow…if he gets a statue then Federer, Novak, Borg deserve one.”

Bjorn Borg was Wimbledon royalty from 1976 to 1980, winning five titles in a row and reaching the final again in 1981. His five straight wins have only been matched by one man in nearly half a century. That man? Roger Federer. The Swiss maestro owns eight Wimbledon titles, five of them in a row from 2003 to 2007. He also made four more finals, setting the record for most Wimbledon men’s singles titles in the Open Era. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic is just one title away from equaling that record. With seven Wimbledon wins already, the Serbian legend is gearing up to try for No. 8 this year.

Some fans weren’t holding back. Another fan wrote, “This is crazy lol, what’s next, a statue for Thiem at the US Open?”

That’s a reference to Dominic Thiem’s lone Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open. It was a great run, sure, but one title does not a statue make.

One fan didn’t mince words and wrote, “The most undeserved statue of all time.” Murray’s Wimbledon record, though, is more than just two wins. He reached the final in 2012 and made 10 straight quarter-finals from 2008 to 2017.

But that hasn’t stopped critics. One fan wrote, “Statue for what lmao what has he achieved except for his PR. Built a statue of Roger Federer the 👑 of grass.”

It’s hard to argue with Federer’s numbers on grass. Besides his eight Wimbledon titles, he won 10 Halle Open titles, has 19 grass-court trophies overall, and holds the Open Era records for most grass-court wins (192) and win percentage (86.88%, with at least 50 wins).

Another fan chimed in, “Hmm I think there are more deserving candidates tbh..andy being Brit may be the reason.”

Andy Murray is both Scottish and British. Born in Glasgow and raised in Dunblane, he’s always played for Great Britain on the international stage. He’s the only man to win two Olympic golds in men’s singles tennis—one of them coming on home soil at the 2012 London Olympics. He also grabbed a silver medal in mixed doubles with Laura Robson that year. And let’s not forget his second singles gold at Rio in 2016.

As Wimbledon gears up to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2027, a statue of Andy Murray may well be part of the show. But judging by fan reactions, not everyone’s on board with this tribute. What do you think, does Murray deserve a place in stone? Let us know in the comments below!