John Friends and Rinky Hijikata have drawn high-profile British pair Andy and Jamie Murray within the opening spherical of the Wimbledon 2024 males’s doubles competitors.
London, Nice Britain, 1 July 2024 | Leigh Rogers
When the Wimbledon 2024 males’s doubles draw was revealed, Australian duo Rinky Hijikata and John Friends have been thrilled to find they might face a pair of high-profile British wildcards within the opening spherical.
Their opponents are the Murray brothers, 38-year-old Jamie and 37-year-old Andy, who’re teaming up at Wimbledon for the primary time of their storied careers.
With Andy Murray, some of the embellished and adored British gamers in historical past, probably contesting his ultimate Wimbledon, Friends expects their first-round showdown to snare a outstanding spot on the schedule.
“For Rinky and I, we’re simply excited to hopefully have the ability to get on an enormous courtroom at Wimbledon, which we each know you don’t get many probabilities to have the ability to do,” Friends informed tennis.com.au.
“Fingers crossed we’re going to get on Court docket 1, and even Centre Court docket could be good. I’ve solely been on Centre Court docket twice in my profession and I’ve been on Court docket 1 a couple of instances which was good, however to have the ability to get on the market once more could be actually particular.”
> READ: 9 Australians to contest doubles at Wimbledon 2024
Friends, a former world No.2, is unnerved about dealing with the Murray brothers in entrance of their residence crowd.
“We all know there’s not going to be many in our nook, we’ll have our field supporting us and that’s about it,” Friends stated.
“However on the finish of the day, we play tennis for the challenges and the love of it. We’re going to have the ability to look again and say we performed towards the Murrays at Wimbledon, in all probability towards a full British crowd, which can be thrilling. It’s going to be nice.”
World No.55 Friends as soon as loved a fruitful partnership with Jamie Murray, a former world No.1 and seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion. They have been Wimbledon finalists in 2015 and received six ATP doubles titles as a crew between 2013 and 2015.
“I do know them each very properly,” Friends stated of his relationship with the Murray brothers. “Jamie and I performed collectively for 3 years and I acquired to know Andy very well as properly. If you’ve been on tour this lengthy, you turn into pals with a whole lot of the blokes.”
Though Friends is teaming up with 23-year-old Hijikata for the primary time, their affiliation stretches again a number of years too.
“I’ve been in a position to assist Rinky somewhat bit and get to know him as he’s come up the ranks,” Friends stated of his companion, who’s 12 years his junior and likewise performed US faculty tennis earlier than turning skilled.
“He was a part of one of many Davis Cup ties (in 2021) as an orange boy serving to out the crew, so I acquired to know Rinky then. To have the ability to get on the identical aspect of the online now’s actually one thing particular.
“I imply, he received the Aussie Open a few years in the past (with Jason Kubler in 2023) and has been enjoying some unbelievable tennis, so it’s going to be actually thrilling to play collectively. Rinky and I are pumped and searching ahead to the problem and pleasure of all of it.”
> READ: Australian males set 39-year Grand Slam-first at Wimbledon 2024
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