Venus Williams 'excited' by her unexpected inclusion in Wimbledon mixed doubles

By Ben Church, CNN

Updated 1045 GMT (1845 HKT) July 2, 2022

Venus Williams asked Jamie Murray to play at the last minute.

(CNN)Venus Williams said she had «no plans» of playing at Wimbledon this year but that the atmosphere around the grass court grand slam persuaded her to play.

The 42-year-old has not played competitively for almost a year but has partnered up with Jamie Murray, brother of three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray, to compete in the mixed doubles.Venus had previously expressed that she would not be participating this week, but requested a last-minute wild-card entry with Murray, and the pair was then announced in the mixed doubles draw on Wednesday. The popular pairing, cheered on by the crowd, surprised even themselves when beating Alicja Rosolska and Michael Venus 6-3 6-7(7) 6-3 on Friday. «I had no plan to play. I saw the grass and I got excited,» Williams said.Read More«I was at the French Open, it's a beautiful event, but my heart didn't beat the same way. Not that I could play but… I had no plans. That's why I was asking (Murray) last minute.»The pair proved popular with the Wimbledon crowd. Wimbledon 'priority' In her career, Williams has won the Wimbledon women's singles title five times and the doubles title six times but she's never managed to succeed in the mixed doubles — she lost in the final in 2006. Her partner, Murray, has won five mixed doubles titles including two at Wimbledon in 2007 and 2017. Novak Djokovic cruises into Wimbledon fourth round with comfortable victory against Miomir KecmanovicThe pair seemed to click on Friday, with Murray dominating with his serve and Venus sharp at the net. «It's one of the only ones I haven't won, so I usually put a little more priority here,»