Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal's boost ahead of Wimbledon quest
No.1 seed Novak Djokovic and No.2 seed Rafa Nadal have avoided any potential dangerous unseeded tennis stars as Wimbledon following the draw.
The tennis world was waiting to see if either of the icons would draw dangerous unseeded stars such as Aussie Nick Kyrgios or three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray.
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However, fortunately for Djokovic and Nadal it did not work out that way.
Top seed and tournament favourite Djokovic drew South Korean Kwon Soon Woo, while Nadal was pitted with 23-year-old Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo in the First Round.
Djokovic will be bidding for a seventh Wimbledon title and a fourth in succession following triumphs in 2018, 2019 and 2021, after the cancellation of the 2020 championships.
No.10 seed Jannik Sinner drew the unlucky straw and was drawn against three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka.
Kyrgios will start against Britain's Paul Jubb at Wimbledon.
A notable first-round clash saw three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka, in the draw on a wildcard, paired with Italian 10th seed Sinner, while Matteo Berrettini, runner-up to Djokovic last year, will play Chile's Cristian Garin.
Powerful Italian Berrettini, who has won the Stuttgart and Queen's Club titles on grass this year, features on Nadal's side of the draw, while in the top half Djokovic has Carlos Alcaraz and Hubert Hurkacz for company.
Rafa Nadal trains ahead of Wimbledon return
Nadal hasn't taken to Wimbledon in three years but in preparation he has played exhibition matches agianst Stan Wawrinka, Francis Tiafoe and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
And after a number of positive signs, coach Marc Lopez has confirmed the Spaniard is relatively stress free with his foot leading into Wimbledon.
"There are good days and bad days," coach Lopez told EFE publication.
"This surface is very unforgiving, everything happens very quickly. We are training with people who serve very well.
"At the moment, everything is positive. The foot issue, which was always the most worrying thing, is OK. We have to finish adjusting training, the other day [Wednesday] he played very well in the exhibition [at the Hurlingham Club against Wawrinka] and now we need to be ready for Tuesday's [first-round] match [at Wimbledon]."
Nadal announced at the end of last week that a procedure to reduce nerve pain in his foot had assisted his quest in gunning for a record-extending 23rd men's grand slam title at Wimbledon.
with AAP
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