Serena Williams ‘wanted to be in crowd’ to watch her doubles match with Murray

Serena Williams said her first doubles outing with Sir Andy Murray was so hyped even she wanted to be in the audience.

Following their victory over Andreas Mies and Alexa Guarachi, she joked: “At some point I started feeling a lot of pressure -‘Oh my god I have to do well’ – because this match is so hyped I want to see it.

“I didn’t even want to be in it, I just wanted to watch it.”

She added: “Overall, I was able to handle my nerves pretty good, better than I thought I was going to do.”

Describing a rather ungraceful fall in the first set, a giggling Williams said: “I just remember I slipped, then I was going to get back up – I saw a ball coming towards me, so I just kind of went back down.”

“I decided to just stay down and let Andy do all the running.”

Sir Andy said he had already watched the clip, with Williams describing it as “hilarious”.

The two-time Wimbledon winner said earlier they had been taking it in turns to be captain.

He chalked their diplomacy up to both being younger siblings.

“We were saying we’re both the younger siblings, so we’re used to being bossed by our older brother and sister – we’re taking it in turns to be boss!” he said.

Williams said previously she and Sir Andy had bonded over their children.

She said: “I always ask about his girls. I think his younger daughter is about the same age as my daughter – they’re about a month apart so that’s pretty cool.”

The crowds were out in force for the pair on Murray Mound/Henman Hill as the pair battled it out on centre court.

Sebastian Stuart-Banks, 25, told PA: “I was very, very excited. It’s a fairytale waiting to happen.

“There’s two parents on court. A mother and a father and I love that. It’s great.”

Mr Stuart-Banks insisted for people of his generation the grass space would always be “Murray Mound”, but his father Kevin, 60, was less sure.

He said: “It’s Henman Hill – having christened it Henman Hill they should stick with it and not keep changing it.”

Levi Dawson, 20, was also on team Murray.

“It’s Murray Mound 100%,” he said.

Williams helped to keep Britain’s hopes for Sir Andy alive after he was knocked out of the men’s doubles earlier on Saturday.

Elsewhere, there was more heartbreak for the British contingent as Harriet Dart and Dan Evans also failed to make it to the second week.

Britain’s dream of singles glory now rest solely with Johanna Konta after she defeated the US’s Sloane Stephens.

A host of Britain’s sporting greats were invited to the royal box to enjoy Saturday’s action, including Gareth Southgate, Sir Mo Farah, Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Ben Ainslie.

Also in the royal box were Lord Coe, boxer David Haye and rugby player Maro Itoje.

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