Andy Murray might need to overcome the World No.12 Marin Cilic, the top seed Rafael Nadal and the second seed Novak Djokovic if he is to successfully defend his AEGON Championships title next week.
Murray, who last year became the first British player since Henry ‘Bunny’ Austin in 1938 to win the title at The Queen’s Club, receives a bye in the first round and will face either Austrian Daniel Koellerer or Ivan Navarro in the second round. The talented American Mardy Fish could be his round three opponent, with Cilic in the quarters, Nadal in the semi’s and Djokovic in the final.
Nadal, who won the title in 2008, also enjoys a first round bye, with Marcos Daniel of Brazil or Slovenian Blaz Kavcic waiting in round two. The Spaniard, who competes in the French Open final before arriving at the AEGON Championships, is seeded to face his good friend and eighth seed Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals.
The man who Nadal beat in the final two years ago, Novak Djokovic, opens up against Spain’s Pere Riba or Paolo Lorenzi of Italy after a bye in the first round, and could meet big-serving American Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals.
Andy Roddick, who is aiming for a record fifth title at the AEGON Championships this year, meets either Igor Kunitsyn of Russia or Ukraine’s Ilya Marchenko in the second round, with Frenchman Gael Monfils a potential quarterfinal opponent. Roddick is seeded to face Djokovic in the semifinals.
British wild cards Jamie Baker and James Ward both received challenging first round draws, against 16th seed Dennis Istomin of Uzbekistan and American Robby Ginepri respectively. Baker could meet Nadal in the third round.
The AEGON Championships will be broadcast live, every day, on BBC Television and Eurosport.
To view the full main singles draw, click here: http://www.lta.org.uk/
Notes to Editors:
- In recent years, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal have all completed the grass-court double, winning the AEGON Championships and Wimbledon in the same year.
- AEGON became the Lead Partner of British Tennis in January 2009 in a five-year partnership covering all aspects of tennis, from grass roots to international events such as the AEGON Championships.
- AEGON is one of the world’s leading insurance groups. In the UK, AEGON offer pensions, life insurance, asset management and financial advice to corporate and individual customers.
Media contact:
David Law, AEGON Championships Media Director - david.law@aegonchampionships.com;
