Andy Murray gets new Wimbledon doubles offer as star shares regret

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Andy Murray has received a fresh opportunity to compete in the doubles at Wimbledon - despite initially being turned down by a past champion.

The British tennis star famously joined forces with Serena Williams for the mixed doubles event in 2019, although she was not his first choice; he had previously approached Ash Barty and Kristina Mladenovic.

Barty has now opened up about her reasons for declining Murray's offer, while also extending an invitation for him to partner with her next year.

Murray's experiences with mixed doubles at Wimbledon have been somewhat challenging. Over the weekend, Emma Raducanu withdrew from their first-round match due to injury, and five years earlier, Murray had to quickly find a partner after being rejected by two top players, leading to his memorable pairing with Williams. ALSO READ: Emma Raducanu ends Andy Murray's Wimbledon career with mixed doubles withdrawal ALSO READ : Andy Murray's net worth, 'selfish' marriage claim and brutal feud with brother Jamie But the retired Australian star has offered Murray a chance to return to Wimbledon next year after saying farewell last week. “I would have loved to play mixed doubles with Andy, but singles were my focus, and I had already entered ladies doubles as well,” the three-time Grand Slam champion told Express Sport. “I’m not sure my body would have coped with mixed doubles too.” Barty is back at Wimbledon for the first time since she lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish in 2021, working as a BBC pundit and entering the invitational doubles with her old partner Casey Dellacqua.