John McEnroe has reacted to the news that Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu will play doubles together at Wimbledon.
It has been confirmed that the pair of former British number ones will team up for what is set to be the 37-year-old’s All-England Club farewell.
The three-time Grand Slam champion will also compete alongside his brother Jamie in the men’s doubles event.
Though Murray had to withdraw from the singles competition, fans are delighted to hear he will also join forces with his fellow US Open winner to try and end his Wimbledon career with a Grand Slam title.
John McEnroe brands Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon pairing as ‘unexpected’
Fans are delighted to hear that they will see Murray and Raducanu team up for the first time. McEnroe is also pleased with the news, but the American admitted he did not see it coming.
The tennis commentator also highlighted some of achievements and how consistent Murray was as he battled Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the top of the game for the better part of a decade.
“It has been an uphill battle for six or seven years for Andy, he wants it so badly. It used to be the big four and you don’t say that as often as we used to,” he said on BBC.
“People forget that he was right in the mix. He finished number one in the world in 2016, so most athletes in any sport don’t go out the way they want to. Almost all of them.
“But that’s cool, it’s unexpected. He is feeling good enough to play doubles and mixed. Hopefully there’s some fun involved, dare I say!”
Emma Raducanu previously said she would like to team up with Andy Murray
Raducanu has expressed her admiration for Murray on multiple occasions and thanked him for his contributions to British tennis.
She sees him as an inspiration and role model and also once started her desire to play doubles with the former World number one.
“We haven’t actually spoken about it but it’s something we feel we both want to do,” she told BBC Breakfast in 2022.
Now Raducanu, who previously described playing doubles with Murray as a “childhood dream”, will see it become a reality when the pair commence their Wimbledon mixed doubles campaign on Friday.
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