Friday’s draw was largely in favor of the world No.3 – the first seed here at Wimbledon due to the absences of Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev – but there is a tantalizing potential clash against rising star Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
In the scheduled quarter-finals, there is also the possibility of a rematch against talented Canadian star Felix Auger Aliassime, who recently pushed Nadal all the way in a five-set epic in the fourth round at Roland Garros.
Last year’s runner-up Matteo Berrettini is set to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, while third seed Casper Ruud could face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who recently won the title on grass in Halle.
Home favorite Andy Murray, a two-time winner here, earned a favorable first-round draw against Australian James Duckworth, who is yet to win a match on the ATP Tour this season and lost last week to world No. 277 Paul Jubb during qualifying for Queen’s Club.
Murray is struggling with an abdominal injury sustained in his final loss to Berrettini in Stuttgart which later forced him to retire from Queen’s, but the former world number one recently said he believes that he could still play “big tennis”.
Swiatek looks to continue his streak
In the women’s draw, world number one Iga Swiatek will face Croatian qualifier Jana Fett in the first round as she bids to win her maiden Wimbledon title. The Pole has been the standout player on the WTA Tour this season having won six titles including the French Open, but grass is undoubtedly her least favorite surface.
Swiatek never made it past the fourth round at SW19 and could potentially face American Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals, a player whose best performance at Wimbledon was in the second round last year.
Last year’s runner-up Karolína Pliskova is set to face world number 4 Paula Badosa in the quarter-finals, while world number 2 Anett Kontaveit could come up against Maria Sakkari.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who suffered a leg injury in the first round of Wimbledon last year, reached the doubles semi-finals at Eastbourne last week playing alongside Ons Jabeur, but the duo was forced to retire after the Tunisian injured herself.
British star Emma Raducanu, who enjoyed her breakout performance at Wimbledon last year, earned a tricky draw against world No. 46 Alison van Uytvanck, who won a second-tier grass event last week in Italy.
Raducanu struggled with injury at Wimbledon and recorded limited playing time on grass, withdrawing from the Nottingham Open and subsequently missing the Eastbourne International.
Wimbledon main draws start on Monday, June 27.
For more on Wimbledon, watch “Citizen Ashe” on CNN on Sunday, June 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The CNN film explores the lasting legacy of tennis legend and humanitarian Arthur Ashe, who was the first black man to win Wimbledon.
