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The Wimbledon mixed-doubles draw always includes some crowd-pleasing surprises.
And now that Andy Murray has closed the books on his Wimbledon singles career, perhaps he can get down and have some fun. And create some memories.
Murray is set to play doubles with his brother Jamie for the first time ever at Wimbledon.
And on Wednesday, before the mixed doubles draw came out, it was confirmed that he will play mixed doubles with … Emma Raducanu.
(Raducanu rarely even plays women’s doubles, never mind mixed. So it’s a treat. She has a total of ONE doubles match on her professional resumé – at Washington, D.C. in 2022, with Clara Tauson of Denmark. They bowed out 6-4, 6-1 to Lucia Hradecka and Monica Niculescu).
That’s absolute golden fun for the fans. It’s hard to figure out what court they will schedule them on, because they “can’t” really put it on Centre Court or No. 1, even though they would fill it.
They will face Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Zhang Shuai of China in the first round.
The Murray brothers WILL be on Centre Court Thursday for their first-round doubles match.
Team name suggestions at the ready…@EmmaRaducanu and @andy_murray will be entering this year's Mixed Doubles Championship as wild cards 🇬🇧#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ILAdl99y3n
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2024
Ebden-Perez top seeds
Other than those two, there’s not a ton of … singles “star power”, per se, in the Wimbledon mixed draw.
Matthew Ebden and Ellen Perez, whom you’d expect would challenge for a medal in Paris later this month, are the No. 1 seeds.
Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani are the No. 5 seeds (ditto their prospects for Paris).
Jamie Murray is playing with Taylor Townsend. They could win it. Or lose in the first round.
But the worst news is that the Cana-Kiwis – Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe – have been drawn to meet each other in the first round.
Routliffe and fellow Kiwi Michael Venus (who lost to the eventual champions Siegemund and Roger-Vasselin – barely – in Paris) are the No. 2 seeds.
Dabrowski and partner Harri Heliovaara are unseeded.
Previous fun pairings
Murray has only played mixed doubles at Wimbledon three times before – early, then late.
In 2005 with Shahar Peer. In 2006 with Kirsten Flipkens and of course, the notable teamup with Serena Williams in 2016.
2023: Lovebirds Alex de MInaur and Katie Boulter
2022: Jamie Murray and Venus Williams, Jack Sock and Coco Gauff
2021: Nick Kyrgios and Venus Williams
2019: Andy Murray and Serena Williams, Frances Tiafoe and Venus Williams, Nick Kyrgios and Desirae Krawczyk (Okay, that one was a little random)
2018: Jamie Murray and Victoria Azarenka, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Ashleigh Barty
2017: Jamie Murray and Martina Hingis
2016: Nick Kyrgios and Madison Keys
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