Andy Murray faces possible Wimbledon semi-final against Rafael Nadal as he starts against Alexander Bublik

No1 seed: Murray will face a qualifier or lucky loser in the first round
PA
Tom Dutton30 June 2017

Andy Murray will face Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in the first round at Wimbledon as he begins his defence on Monday.

The Brit has been placed in the same half of the draw as number two seed Rafael Nadal and faces the possibility of a quarter-final meeting with Stan Wawrinka, who beat Murray in the French Open semi-final in June.

Murray's opening opponent Bublik has won both previous match against 20 opposition and beat Lucas Pouille at this year's Australian Open.

The Wimbledon champion could face Dustin Brown in the second round, where the German knocked out Nadal two years ago, while big-hitting Italian Fabio Fognini may lurk in round three.

If Murray can navigate his way into the last 16, he might be fairly satisfied with his draw from then on.

Nick Kyrgios is a potentially dangerous foe in the fourth round but the Australian has been struggling with a hip injury and has never beaten Murray in four attempts.

Nadal would certainly be a formidable opponent in the semis although Murray would likely have preferred the Spaniard to Roger Federer, who was the other possible top four seed to land in his half.

Murray will avoid Novak Djokovic and Federer until a potential match-up in the final, should he get that far, while Djokovic faces a possible third-round tie against Juan Martin Del Potro. The three-time winner at the All England Club opens against Martin Klizan and will likely have to get past Dominic Thiem and Federer to progress to another final.

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships - In detail

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Last year's finalist Milos Raonic faces the prospect of a quarter-final against Federer.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion will begin his bid to win a record eighth SW19 crown against Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov, and Nadal will play Australian John Millman.

Brit James Ward will face Marcos Baghdatis, while Kyle Edmund is set to face a qualifier or a lucky loser.

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