A video has resurfaced online of Emma Raducanu stating that her dream mixed doubles partner would be Andy Murray, after it was confirmed on Wednesday that the British duo would pair up for the tournament at Wimbledon this year.
It was revealed on Wednesday that the three-time Grand Slam champion had sent a late-night message to Raducanu over the possibility of playing mixed doubles at Wimbledon. Murray had, though, received a quick reply, with Raducanu, a long-standing fan of the 37-year-old, replying ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’
It appears, their partnership, once a dream for the 21-year-old US Open champion, Raducanu, is set to become reality, with the British tennis star having previously claimed it was her dream to pair up with Murray back in 2020.
‘Andy Murray,’ she said during an interview with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) when asked who her dream mixed doubles partner would be.
‘I [have] played against him but I’d love to play with him,’ she added.
Emma Raducanu (pictured) unveiled during an interview back in 2020, that she would love to play alongside Andy Murray in mixed doubles
Murray (left) confirmed on Wednesday that the pair would partner up for the mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon this year
Raducanu, meanwhile, is through to the third round of the ladies’ singles tournament after she claimed a dominant 6-1 6-2 victory against Elise Mertens on Court One on Wednesday afternoon.
After the victory, the 21-year-old state that it was an honour to play alongside the Scot, in what could be his final appearance as a player at the All England Championships.
‘I mean, I’m not sure – my doubles record isn’t exactly the longest or most vast. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he’s such a hero to all of us,’ she said, speaking to BBC One following her victory on Court One.
‘It’s a real gift and a real honour. A moment I could never say no to, and I’m looking forward to learning to a couple of things, about coming to the net or whatever!’
The pair have been drawn against Shuai Zhang and Marcelo Arevalo in the opening round of the tournament.
But this could be Murray’s final appearance at Wimbledon, with the two-time All England champion having previously hinted at his plans to hang up the racket following this summer.
The Scot was forced to pull out of the men’s singles event on the eve of the All England Championships, confirming that he had not fully recovered from an operation on his back that took place a week prior to the tournament – but is still set to partner up with his brother, Jamie, in the men’s doubles this week.
Murray has previously acted as a mentor to Raducanu, with the pair going on to play against each other twice at the Battle of the Brits event back in 2020.
Murray famously played mixed doubles with Serena Williams at Wimbledon back in 2019 but stated on Wednesday that he was excited about the prospect of pairing up with Raducanu.
Raducanu, meanwhile, has booked her spot in the third round of the ladies’ singles event after besting Elise Mertens
Murray (left) revealed that he had messaged Raducanu (right) to see if she would like to partner up with him for the event late last night
The two-time Wimbledon champion (left) is preparing to play alongside his brother Jamie (right) in the men’s doubles after withdrawing from the men’s singles
‘It should be fun,’ he said. ‘I have played mixed doubles a few times when I was young and then the last time was with Serena.
‘I really enjoyed it, it’s something we rarely get to do. And to get a chance to do it with Emma…well, it’s my last chance to do it, so it should be good.’
On his reasoning for asking Raducanu to play alongside him, the Scot added: ”Firstly we want to be competitive in the matches. And then playing with another Brit as well is something that would be nice.
‘She’s obviously one of the top, top British players and she would have been top of the list, yeah.’
