Andy Murray and Serena Williams will launch Wimbledon's new dream team against Chilean Alex Guarachi and Germany's Andreas Mies in the first round of the mixed doubles. Briton Murray and American Williams, who have won nine Wimbledon singles titles between them, confirmed they would play mixed together on Monday. Williams, 37, is bidding for an eighth singles title at the All England Club while the 32-year-old Murray is concentrating on doubles as he continues his comeback from hip surgery. One thing is certain, their opponents will have never encountered anything like the attention the first-round clash will receive with the match almost certain to be played on Center Court or Court One. Guarachi is ranked 478th in the WTA singles rankings although she is 64th in doubles. Mies is ranked 24th in doubles. It is Murray's first foray into mixed doubles at Wimbledon although his brother Jamie has twice won the title. Williams has won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles but has not played mixed doubles at a major since partnering fellow American Bob Bryan at the 2012 French Open. She won the 1998 mixed title at Wimbledon with Max Mirnyi. Murray and Williams are not seeded for the event and will face 14th seeds Fabrice Martin and Raquel Atawo in the next round if they win. Earlier, Murray ended days of speculation about who he will play mixed doubles with at Wimbledon after confirming he would partner Williams at the grasscourt major. The three-times Grand Slam singles champion's management team confirmed the news on Tuesday. The Scot, who is playing doubles at the All England Club as he tries to regain full match fitness after hip surgery in January, was flooded with offers after he revealed world No. 1 and French Open champion Ash Barty had turned him down. That rejection has now led to the formation of the ultimate Wimbledon super-couple as between them Williams and Murray have won 26 singles majors. "If you guys really want it... all right, done," teased Williams after she began her pursuit of a record 24th Grand Slam singles title earlier on Tuesday. Murray's metal hip may have to work overtime in the next few days as he will also compete in men's doubles with Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert less than a month after returning to action. Murray won the Queen's Club doubles title with Feliciano Lopez in his comeback tournament last month. — Reuters
