"What do we want for Andy?": Nadal's statue in Paris inspires Wimbledon to honor Murray

"We saw Rafa with that plaque that was unveiled at Roland Garros, which was very special, and we thought, 'What do we want for Andy?'" These are the words of Debbie Jevans, president of the All England Club, about Wimbledon's pending tribute to Murray, the last British champion to achieve that Grand Slam. Inspired by Nadal's statue, he too will be immortalized.

The differences, however, are notable between the two. Rafa has won 14 times at Roland Garros, compared to Andy's only two at Wimbledon, in 2013 and 2016. In his case, however, the significance was enormous because it had been 77 years since the last time a Briton had lifted the title on London's grass.

"We want to have a statue of Andy Murray here and are working closely with him and his team," Jevans explained. The All England Club intends to unveil it in 2027, as part of the tournament's 150th anniversary celebrations. His final match at Wimbledon already featured a tribute.

"The ambition is to unveil it on the 150th anniversary of our first Championship, which started in 1877. He needs to be involved in that, and he and his team will be. We had a great celebration for Andy when he played his last game here . All the legends came and greeted him. And Sue Barker interviewed him."

A gold in the London grass

Fred Perry had been the last British champion until Murray achieved glory. His predecessor won the title in 1936, and almost 50 years later, in 1984, a statue of him was placed on the grounds , just as Andy will. Both will have their place in the sports complex, just as they have in the history of the competition.

Murray also has another moment of glory on the London grass . At the 2012 Olympic Games, he contested the final against Roger Federer. The Swiss arrived as the overwhelming favorite: he had already won every Grand Slam, and Olympic gold was the last thing he needed . But Andy put on a show to the delight of the fans.

The Perry precedent

The tribute is even more poignant given the precedent of Perry, a three-time champion on London's magical grass. If there was any tennis player who needed recognition at Wimbledon, it's Murray, whose career was overshadowed by the successes of the Big Three . But he deserves to be remembered for his ability to steal three Grand Slam titles from them.

There are reasons to justify this statue , thanks to his status as a national idol, but using Nadal as a reference has provoked a series of criticisms as unfair and incomprehensible. It seems unsustainable to compare the successes of a tennis player who has won the same Grand Slam 14 times, which has become his private garden, with one who has only won it twice. The arguments must be different, even if they have served as inspiration .