Andy Murray to play James Duckworth in Wimbledon first round

Andy Murray has been drawn to face James Duckworth in the first round at Wimbledon.

The Scot was unseeded in Friday’s draw and avoided meeting Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic early in the tournament that has delivered two of his three Grand Slam wins.

Duckworth, the world number 77, is making his ninth appearance at Wimbledon. The 30-year-old reached the third round last year, the furthest he has gone in the competition.

Murray, ranked 51 in the world, has had a mixed build-up, making a run to the final of the Stuttgart Open but suffering an injury that forced him to withdraw from Queen’s.

A subsequent scan showed a strain to his left abdomen but Murray hopes to be fit for Wimbledon.

The 35-year-old, who won the singles title in SW19 in 2013 and 2016, was knocked out in the third round last year by Denis Shapovalov.

Dan Evans believes Murray can still be competitive despite missing Queen’s in the run-up.

“It’s never easy for people to be injured, especially this time of year. It’s not ideal,” Evans said last week.“In Andy’s case, if anybody knows how to prepare himself for Wimbledon, it’s him.“I don’t think if he plays this week or next week, in my opinion it wouldn’t matter for his preparations as long as he can prepare. If he can still play tennis in a week or so, I think he’ll be OK. So in that sense, it’s not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world for him.”Murray has since been photographed back on court in London.