Tough Wimbledon draw for defending champion Novak Djokovic
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will have to hit the ground running at Wimbledon next week after being drawn against Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber in round one.
The Serb, seeded one, has not played a competitive match since losing to Stanislas Wawrinka in the French Open final, and could then play former champion Lleyton Hewitt, who is making his Wimbledon farewell, in the second round.
Kohlschreiber, who once beat Djokovic at Roland Garros, had match points against Federer at the Halle grasscourt event last week and at number 33 in the world he only just missed being seeded for the grasscourt grand slam.
Federer, bidding for an eighth Wimbledon title, will play Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur who he beat at the French Open.
Czech Petra Kvitova, who stormed to her second title last year when she crushed Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard in the final, will begin against Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.
The top half of the women’s draw looks stronger than the bottom with world number one Serena Williams joined by Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova and five-times winner Venus Williams.
American sisters Serena and Venus could meet in the last 16.
Serena should have little trouble in the first round after being drawn against Russian qualifier Margarita Gasparyan.
Murray faces a potentially tough path if he is to win a second Wimbledon title after finding himself in the bottom half of the draw along with twice former champion Rafael Nadal.
He plays Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan in round one but Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could be waiting in the last 16 with Nadal or fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the quarters.
Tenth seed Nadal plays Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci while Wawrinka, seeded four and on course for a semi-final against Djokovic, plays Joao Sousa.
