Great Britain's current and future stars will join forces at the Hopman Cup in January.
World No. 4 Andy Murray will partner 2008 Wimbledon junior champion Laura Robson for the 22nd running of the international mixed-team championship. The eight-nation competition is set for January 2-9 at the Burswood Dome in Perth, Australia.
"Andy Murray is one of the superstars of world tennis. His appearance with Laura Robson is a real coup for the tournament," tournament director Paul McNamee said.
The 22-year-old from Dunblane, Scotland, has enjoyed an impressive 2009. He was the first player to record 50 match wins this year and has captured five ATP World Tour titles: Queen’s Club, Doha, Rotterdam, Miami and Toronto.
"I look forward to playing the Hopman Cup with Laura. I'm hoping it will be a good preparation for the Australian Open," said Murray, who is 6-3 lifetime vs. World No. 1 Roger Federer. "Laura is a great talent and it will be good to link up together playing for our country."
Murray will be partnered by the 15-year-old Robson. In 2008, she captured the world’s attention by winning the junior girls singles title at Wimbledon. She was the runner-up at the 2009 Australian Open juniors. After reaching the number one junior world ranking in April, Robson started the journey into senior women’s professional tournaments. At Wimbledon, Robson received a wildcard into the main event where she lost to Daniela Hantuchova. Robson, who was born in Melbourne and spent some years in Perth before returning to England, will turn 16 during the Australian Open.
Great Britain is the seventh team to enter the event joining:
Spain — Tommy Robredo and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez
Germany — Sabine Lisicki and Philipp Kohlschreiber
Romania — Sorana Cirstea and Victor Hanescu
USA — Melanie Oudin and John Isner
Russia — Elena Dementieva and Igor Andreev
Australia — Samantha Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt
The eighth and final team for the Hopman Cup will be determined at the fourth installment of the Asian Hopman Cup to be held at the National Tennis Centre Astana, Kazakhstan, November 11-14.
