Andy Murray latest: Time set for Wimbledon call amid statue hints

Andy Murray continues to mull over whether to play men’s singles at Wimbledon this year following a practice session on Monday.

The 37-year-old Scot showed definite signs of improvement hitting against fellow British player Kyle Edmund, but remains unsure whether he is in good enough physical shape to play his first-round match against Czech Tomas Machac on Tuesday evening and has delayed his decison until the morning of the match.

Murray was leading Edmund 6-3 2-0 when they reached the end of their session, and he said afterwards: “It was good. I’m going to go and have a chat with my team now, speak to my family this evening and then make a decision. It’s getting better and the testing and stuff I’ve done has been good, I just need to decide whether it’s enough to compete.”

Murray, who underwent surgery to remove a spinal cyst nine days ago, was reported to be serving well and hitting some strong groundstokes but his movement remained compromised and he was struggling when pulled out wide.

Machac, ranked 39, has beaten Murray twice this year already, most recently at the Miami Open in March. However, he is inexperienced on grass.

Andy Murray is mulling over whether to play Tomas Machac at Wimbledon. | Getty Images

.Murray’s indecision provides a headache for Wimbledon organisers in terms of Tuesday’s order of play, but chief executive Sally Bolton said: “We’ve always got plenty of scheduling challenges to face. As he said himself, Andy has earned the right to make the decision and we will absolutely respect that.

“All of us have therefore got to be agile in the way that we deliver our plans, but we’re really happy to do that. It’s very much for Andy to make this decision and make it at the right time for him.”

It would undoubtedly be a blow to the tournament if Murray is not able to compete, although there appears to be a very good chance that he will be fit enough to team up with his brother Jamie in doubles even if he decides against singles.

“We would love to see him on court,” said Bolton. “Of course, if he isn’t, we’ve got plenty of other tennis going on, but I know the fans will be absolutely desperate to see him play so we wish him well in getting on court.”

Bolton was keeping close to her chest Wimbledon’s plans for honouring Murray whenever his final moment at the All England Club comes.

“We have got a variety of plans sitting waiting to deliver,” she said. “It really is for Andy to make that call and we’ll be ready whenever that happens. There’s been various conversations ongoing for some time now. Andy of course is very focused on his performance, not really on anything else.

Murray has lost twice to Machac this year. | Getty Images

“Once he decides to retire and we all get the chance to celebrate him I think you’ll really see how much he has meant to not just the tennis-loving public but the sports-loving public in the UK. I think there’ll be tears around the house.”

Murray confirmed last week that he is planning for Wimbledon and the Olympics to be the final events of his career.

Bolton hinted that the 37-year-old will join Fred Perry in having a statue somewhere in the grounds once his playing career is over, but that may not be outside Centre Court.

“You could argue that’s a bit of an obvious location,” she said. “As we reflect on the shape of these grounds and we think about the potential development over the road, we’ve got time to think about where any kind of physical celebration of Andy’s career might be.

“And, in any event, we’d want to work with Andy on that and he understandably is not ready to have those conversations just yet. We will make sure we get this right because this is for all time.”

Murray plans to retire at the end of this month and his place in the men’s doubles event at the Paris Olympics alongside Dan Evans has been confirmed.

The Scot’s singles spot for what is set to be the final tournament of his career was announced a couple of weeks ago, with Murray securing entry as a two-time former gold medallist and three-time grand slam champion.

Murray and Dan Evans will play together at the Olympics. | Getty Images

But he and Evans were left waiting to see whether they would get into the doubles, which represents Murray’s best chance of a medal.

It will be a fifth Games for the 37-year-old, who picked up gold medals in singles in 2012 and 2016 as well as a silver medal in mixed doubles with Laura Robson in London.

Men’s doubles is the only event where a medal has so far eluded him, with Murray and Joe Salisbury desperately disappointed with a quarter-final exit in Tokyo three years ago.

Meanwhile, a statue in the grounds of Wimbledon could be on the cards for Murray after he retires, with Bolton hinting that Sir Andy could join Fred Perry in having a statue somewhere in the grounds at SW19 once his playing career is over. However, she also seemed to suggest that may not be outside Centre Court.

John McEnroe has called for Murray to have a statue. | Getty Images

“You could argue that’s a bit of an obvious location,” she said. “As we reflect on the shape of these grounds and we think about the potential development over the road, we’ve got time to think about where any kind of physical celebration of Andy’s career might be.

“And, in any event, we’d want to work with Andy on that and he understandably is not ready to have those conversations just yet. We will make sure we get this right because this is for all time.”

It comes after American tennis great John McEnroe called for Sir Andy to receive a statue last week, as he was the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years when he defeated Novak Djokovic in 2013.

McEnroe was quoted in the i newspaper as saying: “If I was making that decision, 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.”