Andy Murray urges Wimbledon not to make a controversial change after Ben Shelton’s complaints

Andy Murray became a legend at Wimbledon thanks to his two singles title wins, and he’s urged the Grand Slam to stick to tradition when it comes to its scheduling.

Murray won the event in 2013 and 2016, the former of which ended a 77-year wait for a British winner of the London event.

He will return to the Grand Slam in a professional capacity for the first time since his retirement in 2024, where he will coach Jack Draper.

In a new interview with The Telegraph, Murray urged Wimbledon not to follow the Australian Open and US Open by adding a third week to its schedule.

Both the US Open and the Australian Open have been successful with their ‘pre’ tournament weeks, with the likes of the US Open Mixed Doubles Challenge and the One-Point-Slam proving hits with fans.

For Murray, however, he would prefer if Wimbledon stuck with its traditional two-week format.

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“Should they do the third week at Wimbledon? I don’t necessarily love the three-week thing for the players, personally. It’s the intensity around the event,” he said.

“One of the things that I loved about Wimbledon was the old middle Sunday [which began to stage play regularly in 2022], or the week beforehand, when it was quiet there.

“This is the biggest tournament of the year, and then when you add an extra week on site – with cameras everywhere now except in the locker room – there’s nowhere to switch off.

“At Wimbledon, if they have fans across the road [in what used to be Wimbledon Park Golf Course] to watch the qualifying, I hope they’ll keep an area where the players can practise in privacy at Aorangi Park. I think it’s fair to be able to train a little bit in privacy at times.

“You know, football teams don’t have fans coming in to watch their practice sessions, and cameras listening into everything that the coaches are saying… unless it’s Southampton,” he joked.

This is an opinion that has been mirrored by several top players, including Ben Shelton.

In an interview with Tennishead, the American said: “The US Open is basically a three-week event at this point, 21 days. I think it’s all things that are a concern for the players. So I think that from the surface and the outside, a lot of people just see it as a money thing.

“For me, it’s more some of the other decisions that happen without player input, really having a player council, if you will, for the slams and a seat at the table.”

For now, this year’s Wimbledon is set to run between Monday, 29th June and Sunday, 12th July.