Nick Kyrgios has announced that former world No. 1 Venus Williams will be his mixed doubles partner at Wimbledon as he returns to tennis.
Kyrgios, 26, tweeted on Tuesday that he would join mixed doubles and confirmed Williams as his partner when asked during a pre-tournament press conference on Saturday.
"Mixed doubles pairing of the tournament," he said.
Williams is a two-time Grand Slam mixed doubles winner, having won the 1998 Australian Open and Roland Garros titles.
Kyrgios, however, never went past the third round of the doubles tournament at a Grand Slam. Her most recent teammates were Amanda Anisimova at the 2020 Australian Open and Desirae Krawczyk at Wimbledon in 2019.
In a 2017 interview, Williams mentioned Kyrgios as his dream doubles partner.
Along with competing in mixed doubles, the two will compete in singles at the tournament starting Monday.
Kyrgios will face Ugo Humbert in the first round while Williams will take on Mihaela Buzarnescu.
Wimbledon marks Kyrgios' return to competitive action after taking a break from the tennis circuit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He last played in the Australian Open in February 2019.
Regarding his decision to return to tennis with Wimbledon, he said, "I didn't feel like I had to play. I didn't feel obligated to play."
"I wasn't pushed. I made a decision. When I was at home I wasn't seeing any results. I used to go on Twitter and see strange results here or there. But I was happy without tennis.
"I think I have a little bit to give, left in the game. I think a lot of people want me to play. I feel like I'm playing for a lot of people.
"Nobody asked me to play. I didn't feel like I had to play. It's just a decision I made."