WIMBLDON WIN: Emma Raducanu faces a difficult meeting with Belgian Alison van Whitvank, but avoids the unstoppable Iga Sviatek in the top half of the draw, as Andy Murray is paired with Australian James Duckworth
- Britain’s Andy Murray will face Australian James Duckworth in the first round
- The former Wimbledon champion avoided a draw against the opponent
- Emma Raducanu will face the world №61 Alison Van Whitvank from Belgium
- The US Open champion is recovering from a side tension injury before next week
By Mike Dixon for the Daily Mail
Posted: 10:48, 24 June 2022 | Updated: 10:30 p.m., June 24, 2022
Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu are ready for a double count on the first day of Wimbledon – but only if the US Open champion manages to prove her worth this weekend.
Their half of the draw will be played on Monday, but doubts remain as to whether Raducanu can take to the Central Court.
On Friday, she trained in the morning, but missed her session on court № 1 in the afternoon. Whether it can serve properly with the remnants of side tension is a problem and there are rules that discourage players from competing with an existing injury.
Emma Raducanu will play with Belgian Alison Van Whitvank, as long as he is fit to play next week
Andy Murray avoided his opponent in the first round while playing with James Duckworth
If she does withdraw, she will receive 50% of the prize pool for losers in the first round of £ 50,000. Its representatives did not comment on whether tensions had worsened. Another update is expected on Saturday.
Raducanu won one of the more difficult draws when he paired with the 46th in the world Alison Van Whitvank from Belgium in the first round.
Murray will face Australian James Duckworth, number 77 in the ATP world, in his first match.
Men’s defending champion Novak Djokovic was among the big names who will feel that Friday’s draw was kind to them.
Murray could be set for a tough test in the second round against John Isner if they both go ahead
A bonus for the 35-year-old Serb, who faces Korean Kuon Sun-Wu in the first round, is that he is kept quite separate from Matteo Beretini, ranked number 8, who reached the final a year ago.
The Italian is set to face Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, but Djokovic’s predicted opponent in the last four is Hubert Hurkatz, the Pole who beat Roger Federer in last year’s quarterfinals. Of the 17 British players in the home contingent on singles, none have drawn a placed player.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are the top two men in the tournament
Serena Williams may have a chance to take part in the tournament, with only two doubles matches in Eastbourne this week behind her.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion starts against the world № 113 Harmony Tan from France and would imagine her chances to beat the 32nd placed Sara Soribes Tormo in the second round. Then Williams can play with last year’s runner-up Karolina Pliskova, although before that the Czech could face the British Katie Boulter, who beat her on the south coast this week.
Serena Williams is back after not playing from last year’s championship
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