Murray calls for more mixed-gender tennis events

Tennis is “missing a trick” by not including more team events involving both men and women on the main tours, three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray has said.

Mixed doubles is played only at the four Grand Slams on the professional tennis circuit.

“I think sports miss a bit of a trick with this stuff,” said Murray, who is taking part in the Battle of the Brits exhibition featuring male and female players.

“The Hopman Cup, for example, was a brilliant event in my opinion. The players enjoyed it. I played there a bunch of times and I loved it.”

The inaugural ATP Cup men’s team competition took the Hopman Cup’s Australian Open warmup slot in 2020 but organizers have said it will return.

“Putting matchups in tennis like Serena Williams and Roger Federer on the same court, it is so brilliant for our sport,” Murray told British media.

“We are able to do that in tennis and we should embrace it a little bit more, not necessarily every single week but at times it would be great. I would like to see Rafa (Nadal) on the court with some of the top female players.”

Murray said there was opportunities for other sports to embrace mixed-gender events.

“Golf is another sport where I think it would be interesting to see a mixed Ryder Cup event,” he said.

“Again it’s a sport where they are able to do it and they just miss out a little bit. I do think people really enjoy watching it, and the players like it, too.”