Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu will play mixed doubles together after the British duo received a Wimbledon wildcard on Wednesday.
In a surprise announcement, the All England Club confirmed that Murray and Raducanu – arguably the two biggest stars in British tennis – would pair up and form a blockbuster pairing in the mixed draw.
It will extend Murray’s final Wimbledon campaign, with the former world No 1 having confirmed this would be his final appearance at SW19.
The two-time champion withdrew from his singles match against Tomas Machac on Tuesday, unable to regain full fitness following surgery on a back cyst less than two weeks ago.
But Murray is still set to play men’s doubles alongside his older brother Jamie at Wimbledon, and will now take to court alongside Raducanu later this week as well.
Raducanu has struggled with form and fitness in recent seasons, but her stunning 2021 US Open triumph makes her the only British player outside of Murray to win a Grand Slam singles title this century.
The 21-year-old has been in resurgent form in recent weeks with strong runs on home soil in Nottingham and Eastbourne, and kickstarted her Wimbledon campaign with a victory over lucky loser Renata Zarazua on Tuesday.
It will be the first time that Raducanu has competed in any doubles discipline at a Grand Slam, perhaps a telling sign that she fully fit ahead of a busy second half of the season.
The 21-year-old is closing in on a return to the top 100 of the WTA Rankings, and could break that rankings barrier with a run this fortnight.
Murray, meanwhile, famously played mixed doubles with Serena Williams at the Championships in 2019, the blockbuster pair progressing to round three.
Raducanu has often spoken glowingly about the impact Murray has had on her career, with the 37-year-old proving an inspirational figure for a whole generation of British stars.
And, following her win over Zarazua – which came on the same day as Murray’s singles withdrawal – she spoke in further detail about the influence he has had.
“I think the biggest advice is just how he’s always taken care of his operations, how he manages his people,” she said.
“For me it’s just like watching him operate day to day, watching him be absolutely on it with everything. Even in practice now, he’s so on it to the minute.
“I think me, when I was a bit younger maybe, showing up 15 minutes before practice to do a few arm curls, swing my hand around and warm up, he’s there for an hour and a half doing treatment. He just sets really good examples.”
All eyes will now be on this blockbuster partnership, with the mixed doubles draw set to start later this week.
The pairing will potentially cause a slight scheduling headache, with Centre Court or Court 1 surely the only fitting venues for Murray and Raducanu to play on.
