From Serena Williams to Coco Gauff: Ben Shelton, Casper Ruud & others pick their dream mixed doubles partner

ATP stars, including Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur, and others, recently chose their dream mixed doubles partner during a Q&A session. While Casper Ruud expressed his desire to share the court alongside Serena Williams, Ben Shelton couldn't ditch his well-known friendship with Coco Gauff. The update was released under Serena Williams' former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou's Ultimate Tennis Showdown banner.

The Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) is a tennis league founded in 2020 by coach Patrick Mouratoglou and businessman Alex Popyrin. It features a fast-paced format with timed quarters, single-point scoring, and unique elements like "bonus cards" and mic'd-up players. The league, conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic, featured players including Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Dominic Thiem.

The Ultimate Tennis Showdown recently asked tennis stars to choose their dream doubles partner. The short clip started with Ben Shelton's opinion, who simply chose his friend and compatriot Coco Gauff to compete against the biggest duos.

"Probably, Coco Gauff," he said in the video.

Andrey Rublev, on the other hand, chose to continue with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, based on their gold medal-winning performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"The deal is done," he said.

Alex de Minaur and Gael Monfils chose their partners as their dream doubles partner. While De Minaur stated fiancée Katie Boulter's name, citing the fun vibes he cherishes with her, Monfils named his wife Elina Svitolina.

The interesting twist came with Casper Ruud's response as he named WTA legend Serena Williams to be her dream mixed doubles partner.

"Everytime I got to watch her, it was always cool to watch Serena play and she was a great doubles player," he said.

UTS players choose their dream mixed doubles partner byu/IndependentTackle149 intennis

After Serena Williams' retirement in 2022, many ATP and WTA stars have stepped forward to express a willingness to share the court with her.

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Serena Williams shares a bold opinion on Jannik Sinner's doping case

WTA legend Serena Williams at the Business Leaders Speak At FII Institute's Annual FII Priority Conference - Source: Getty

Serena Williams, despite expressing her admiration for Jannik Sinner's dominant playing style, remained unbiased on the way his doping case was judged. In a recent interview, the WTA legend remembered the strictness of anti-doping laws during her time, making it clear that the consequences would have been worse if it were her.

“I love the guy, love this game. He’s great for the sport. I’ve been put down so much, I don’t want to bring anyone down. Men’s tennis needs him. [But] if I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let’s be honest. I would have gotten grand slams taken away from me," she said, as reported by The Guardian.

Sinner made a return from his 3-month-long doping ban to compete at the Italian Open. Despite making it to the finals, he finished second, losing the title match to his archrival Carlos Alcaraz. They both now prepare for the upcoming major event at Roland Garros.