Nick Kyrgios has called for another player to be honoured with a statue after the All England Club announced that Andy Murray would get one at Wimbledon. It is set to be unveiled in 2027 and will commemorate Murray’s triumphs in 2013 and 2016. He was the first British player to win the men’s singles title since Fred Perry in 1936.
Murray also won Olympic gold at the All England Club in 2012, cementing his legacy as Britain’s greatest talent in the modern era. His statue will be revealed as part of Wimbledon celebrating its 150th anniversary. At the moment, Perry is the only player to have a full-body statue at SW19.
Kyrgios is glad that Murray is being honoured in this way, but the Aussie believes another player should receive the same treatment. Interestingly, he did not choose Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.
“I definitely agree that Andy Murray deserves a statue,” Kyrgios told TNT Sports. “I think what he’s done for British tennis is amazing. Literally everyone looks up to him. I look up to him. I think he’s been such a great role model in tennis.
“For me, he’s top five of all time. I just hope they get the statue right. Every time someone gets a statue, it’s a bit iffy if they look like a player. I hope they get Murray right, because he’s got a very unique kind of look.
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“Who else deserves it? I think Lleyton Hewitt probably deserves one in Australia, around the Australian Open. We’ll see if that ever comes to light.”
Hewitt is widely considered an Australian sporting great, winning the US Open in 2001 before prevailing at Wimbledon a year later. He also spent 80 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings but never won the Australian Open, finishing as the runner-up in 2005.
Earlier this month, Hewitt travelled to Wimbledon to watch his teenage son Cruz play in the junior competition. He secured a straight-sets victory over Savva Rybkin in his opening match before losing to Oskari Paldanius in the second round.
Speaking after his first-round win, Cruz said: “It was a great feeling. I’ve watched my dad play here for many years and I’ve always wanted to play on these courts, so I was enjoying every moment.
“Dad was proud. It was great to have him there. [It’s always been] me watching him, and he just said: ‘Now you can finally play on the courts and enjoy it’. It was a great day.
“I’ve been thinking about Nick, he’s got a good forehand, too, so I guess it’s good to have the similarities. But I’d love to have his serve.”