Murray 'would love to' play doubles with Raducanu at Wimbledon

By Sports Desk May 31, 2022

Andy Murray has revealed he almost teamed up with Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon last year and "would love to" play doubles with the US Open champion at the All England Club in the future.

Murray and Raducanu are the only two British grand slam champions of the past 45 years.

Former world number one Murray has three major titles, including two at Wimbledon, while teenager Raducanu claimed her breakthrough success at Flushing Meadows in 2021.

A Wimbledon mixed doubles team would therefore prove hugely popular, and Murray says it was actually a possibility last year before Raducanu enjoyed a breakout campaign in her home slam.

Just a month into her WTA Tour career, the Canadian-born star reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.

"Actually, last year we were maybe going to do it, but we both ended up doing well in singles," Murray explained, as quoted by The Telegraph.

"I would love to play alongside Emma at some stage. Whether that is something that works this year or not, I don't know.

"I am sure both of our focuses will be on having good runs in the singles, but I would love to do that."

Murray won a silver medal alongside Laura Robson in the mixed doubles at the London 2012 Olympics at the peak of his powers, while he teamed up with Serena Williams for a run to the Wimbledon third round while recovering from a career-threatening hip injury in 2019.

Related items

  • Alcaraz begins Madrid Open campaign with emphatic win Alcaraz begins Madrid Open campaign with emphatic win

    Carlos Alcaraz continued his fine record at the Madrid Open with an emphatic 6-2 6-1 victory over Alexander Shevchenko on Friday.

    The two-time defending champion made it 12 straight wins at his home tournament to ensure he will face Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild in the last 32.

    Alcaraz was playing his first match on the ATP Tour since March 28 after being unable to compete in the Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open due to an arm injury.

    But he was still able to make a fine start to his clay-court season, breaking serve in the first game and racing to victory in only one hour and eight minutes.

    Data Debrief

    Sometimes the scoreline can be harsh on a beaten player, but on this occasion Alcaraz was clearly dominant, breaking the Kazakh seven times in the match and forcing 11 break-point opportunities while conceding only three for his opponent.

    That allowed the Spaniard to claim a dominant victory despite being broken once in each set. He will now turn his attention to a clash with Seyboth Wild, who battled past Lorenzo Musetti with a 6-4 6-4 win.

  • Reigning champion Sabalenka pushed by Linette at Madrid Open Reigning champion Sabalenka pushed by Linette at Madrid Open

    Aryna Sabalenka got her Madrid Open campaign started with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Magda Linette on Friday.

    Sabalenka could not quite hit her peak form against Linette, but the world number two nevertheless got the job done after going the distance.

    The Belarusian is hunting a record-equalling third title in Madrid, where she is the reigning champion, though she has not won back-to-back matches at a tournament since winning the Australian Open.

    "It's not about being confident," Sabalenka said. "It's about how much you're ready to do to get it. It's about the hard work and to be ready, be ready for the big fights. I feel like confidence is not going to help you in those big matches. It's about staying there and fighting for it."

    Data Debrief

    Sabalenka (70 per cent, 56-24) is now one of five active players since 2020 to hold a winning percentage of 70 per cent or higher at WTA-1000 events.

    Iga Swiatek, Simona Halep, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula are the other players to feature on that list.

  • Rybakina continues clay winning streak with victory over Bronzetti Rybakina continues clay winning streak with victory over Bronzetti

    In-form Elena Rybakina has moved into the last 32 of the Madrid Open after a straight sets victory over Italian Lucia Bronzetti.

    Number four seed Rybakina triumphed 6-4 6-3 on Friday and will next face either Marta Kostyuk or Mayar Sherif.

    Rybakina was broken early in each set but ultimately had few problems getting over the line, converting four of her five break points to continue an impressive run of results after winning the Stuttgart Open last week.

    She has now won five consecutive WTA matches and has 13 straight wins on clay courts to her name in a superb streak that started one year ago.

    Data Debrief: Rybakina in elite company

    Since the start of 2020, only two other players have claimed as many 13 consecutive WTA wins on clay, and they are Iga Swiatek and Simona Halep, so Rybakina is in elite company.

    Rybakina's last defeat on this surface came in the 2023 edition of the Madrid Open, when she fell to Anna Kalinskaya in her first match, so this win represented a better start to her campaign in the Spanish capital.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.