Murray, Kerber begin Wimbledon bids against qualifiers

REUTERS: Andy Murray will begin the defence of his Wimbledon title against a qualifier after the draw was made at the All England Club on Friday.

The Scot, who is bidding to win Wimbledon for a third time, was drawn in the same half as two-times champion Rafa Nadal, with three-times winner Novak Djokovic and seven-times champion Roger Federer placed in the bottom half.

Women’s world number one Angelique Kerber opens against a qualifier and is seeded to face Karolina Pliskova in the semi-finals. French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko could face a semi-final against the woman she beat in the Paris final, Simona Halep, while two-time champion Petra Kvitova is also in the bottom half.