“Does Roger Federer deserve a statue at Wimbledon?” this one question from a tennis lover on social media was enough to spark an unexpected controversy in no time. And now it seems like it’s not going to end anytime soon. Especially after the involvement of WTA legend Martina Navratilova. But it all started with a post from her friend, longtime rival, and WTA icon Chris Evert!

For the unversed, there was a post shared on X, on Thursday, by a user who asked a simple question. While sharing a picture of the Swiss Maestro’s statue, the fan wrote, “Does Roger Federer deserve a statue at Wimbledon?” Well, it didn’t take long for several tennis icons to respond. Among the first ones was the 18-time Grand Slam winner Chris Evert. She had a contrasting point of view in comparison to the user. Advocating for her longtime friend Martina Navratilova, she replied to the original post saying, “What about @Martina who’s won it 9 times?”

After getting tagged by her friend, how could Martina stay behind? However, her reaction came in an unwanted tone, for someone else. When Evert emphasized Martina’s name for a statue at Wimbledon, a tennis coach, Mathias Degardin, responded, “No Federer would be much better. We all agree!” To that, another user asked him if Bjorn Bong or John McEnroe would be the perfect candidates. But Mathias had his thoughts clear. He took a jab at Martina, as he wrote, “More than Martina for sure” along with a laughing emoji. Well, this specific response from him was enough to infuriate the 18-time Grand Slam champion Navratilova.

“Ok- so you’re just a j**k- good to know. Say that to my face next time at a tournament, why don’t you?” Navratilova replied. But Mathias didn’t hold back either. While accusing the WTA legend of insulting him, he wrote, “I am not a j**k Martina. I am just expressing my opinion. I will 100% say it to your face. All I say is I stand behind it and assume it in real life. In your last 2 comments, you insulted me by the way…. I didn’t insult you once…..”

Chris Evert is not the only notable tennis figure who is in favor of a Martina Navratilova statue at the Wimbledon. Following Evert’s post urging for a statue for the former Czech player, another WTA icon has come forward in support of the idea.

Amid the Roger Federer statue controversy, Tracy Austin comes in support of Martina Navratilova

After Evert advocated for her friend Navratilova, former American WTA pro-Tracy Austin also expressed her opinion. She echoed Chris’ sentiments for Martina’s statue at the All England Club. In her response to Chris’ post, she wrote, “Yes! 9 singles, 7 doubles, and 4 mixed! Extraordinary! Maybe @Martina & Fed?” Per Austin, Navratilova’s dominance at Wimbledon should get her a statue. But what about Roger Federer then?

Sure Federer also deserves a statue at the All England Club, but he already has got various statues and monuments dedicated to him. These include the Terracotta warrior statue in Shanghai and the world’s first Walk of Fame at JURA’s headquarters in Niederbuchsiten. Oh, and don’t forget his floating sculpture by Ugo Rondinone which got sold for 320,000 Francs ($357,988.08) at Art Basel.

However, an additional statue, especially at the All England Club, would be glorious for the Swiss maestro. Even Austin believes so. While showing support for Martina, she even mentioned Federer’s name alongside her. It seems Austin wants both of them to have their respective statues at the All England Club.

After all, Roger also clinched the singles title at Wimbledon eight times! Not to mention his 12 appearances in the final clashes of the event. Who do you think should get a statue at Wimbledon first – Roger Federer or Martina Navratilova?