Andy Murray Wimbledon statue has risks, says artist

The sculptor behind a statue of Sir Andy Murray being created for Wimbledon has admitted there are a lot of "risks" that come with taking on the project.

Oxfordshire-based David Williams-Ellis said Murray has played a "big part" in the creation of his statue for the All England Club amid "concerns" it could end up like sporting sculpture failures seen around the world.

The life-size statue of Murray is due to be unveiled next year as part of Wimbledon's 150th anniversary celebrations.

Williams-Ellis said he has even found a sportsman in Oxfordshire to pose as a stand in for the British tennis star.

He said he has had several meetings with the former world number one and his wife Kim since he was commissioned to create the statue.

The artist, who works in a studio in Chipping Norton, said the pair have helped select the pose.

Sears said he had attempted to "capture the essence of Andy's style of playing".

"I think he was rather amused to think that he was being sculpted - he was a bit terrified it might be like some of the other sporting sculptures that have been around the world that have been slightly pilloried and laughed at.

"There are lots of risks, and we've all seen – I won't mention any names – about other sculptures that have been in Britain that have not been a success," he added.

A statue of former Southampton FC manager Ted Bates was removed in 2007, less than a week after it was unveiled.

In 2017, a statue of Cristiano Ronaldo in Madeira Airport gained worldwide attention after critics claimed it did not resemble the Portuguese footballer.

Murray, the Wimbledon men's singles champion in 2013 and 2016, has stood for Williams-Ellis for about 90 minutes.

During this session, he had to repeat the statues pose up to 60 times, the sculptor said.

Williams-Ellis has spent the last four months creating the sculpture in clay.

While he has not yet revealed what pose Murray will be doing in the statue, he confirmed it would show the sportsman moving and holding a tennis racket.

The statue will capture the two-time Wimbledon champion in his early to mid 20s.

Williams-Ellis said the shoes and tennis raquet were proving to be the most challenging parts to get right.

"The strings don't want to be too prevalent, but you want to have them showing.

"So the human body is fine. I can get the movement on the clothing and his body, but some of the tools of his trade - his shoes and his tennis racket - seem to be causing more problems."

Williams-Ellis' other works include the sculpture of three Manchester City legends - Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee - outside the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

Murray ended Britain's 77-year wait for a men's singles champion at Wimbledon with a memorable victory over Novak Djokovic in 2013, and triumphed again at SW19 in 2016 when he beat Milos Raonic.

Tennis greats John McEnroe and Billie Jean King are among those that have previously called for Sir Andy to be honoured with a statue at Wimbledon.

A statue of Fred Perry stands outside the Debenture Holders' Entrance of Centre Court at Wimbledon.