Andy Murray labels controversial Wimbledon poster as a ‘disaster’

Andy Murray has labelled a controversial Wimbledon poster as a ‘disaster’ after the artwork was bashed for omitting the British legend. 

The two-time Wimbledon champion weighed in on the picture, which was aimed as tribute to a number of tennis greats ahead of the tournament beginning next week.

However, it was quickly put under scrutiny after fans noted the omission of Murray, a placement of female stars and the inclusion of youngsters Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. 

While Alcaraz and Sinner are two of the sport’s hotly-tipped prospects, neither have made a significant impact in the Championships as of yet. 

And, the decision to put the two prospects in the forefront – while the likes of Serena and Venus Williams were pushed to the back – raised concern with Murray. 

The poster was scrutinized by fans for failing to include Murray and for it’s placement of a number of female stars – who were placed at the back of the painting

According to the Independent, Murray said: ‘It was a disaster, wasn’t it? I don’t need to elaborate any more on it, it’s pretty obvious if you see the poster.’

The British star was asked for his opinion on the decision to have four of the front five groups as men, to which he said: ‘That was what was slightly strange.

‘I guess the players that are on the poster are ones that have had incredible careers and have been unbelievably successful at Wimbledon.

‘But elsewhere are some of the greatest players of all time. For me, Alcaraz and Sinner are unbelievable players but it just seems strange that they were all sort of behind them. 

‘I personally don’t really care that much about it. But I can see when you look at it’s like, ‘that does look a bit strange’.

Of the 15 players included in the image, only six were women – with four of them being at the very back of the queue. 

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova were the only two female players to be included in the forefront of the image.  

The painting originally appeared on social media nine days ago but the two-time Wimbledon champion has only just given his opinion on the matter.

Both Carlos Alcaraz (left) and Jannik Sinner (right) were in the forefront of the image despite having minimal impact in the Championships

Murray, who is ranked 39th, goes into his home slam unseeded and awaiting his fate in Friday’s draw. 

The 36-year-old suffered defeat in his final warm-up match for Wimbledon against No 6 Holger Rune in the Giorgio Armani Classic held at London’s Hurlingham Club.

The Scot fell to a first-round exit at Queens last week but will still feel confident heading into the tournament after securing back-to-back grass-court titles in Surbiton and Nottingham. 

He also revealed his desire to face up against old rival Novak Djokovic for a final time in his career, but said that he hoped it wouldn’t come in Wimbledon’s early rounds.