Andy Murray to face Benoit Paire in first round if he makes Wimbledon

ANDY MURRAY will face France’s Benoit Paire in the first round of Wimbledon – injury permitting.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Murray will face the world number 48 in the first round at SW19, in a repeat of last year’s fourth-round encounter where Murray won in straight sets.

Murray has won his two meetings against 29-year-old Paire, and will look to continue that dominance as he steps up his comeback after long-term hip trouble.

He had surgery on his right hip in January, only returning to action on June 18, facing Nick Kyrgios at Queen’s.

The 31-year-old overcame Stan Wawrinka at Eastbourne on Monday, only to lose in straight sets to fellow Brit Kyle Edmund in the second round on Wednesday.

Murray has yet to confirm his involvement in this year’s tournament and can pull out anytime before the match, scheduled for Tuesday.

His reward for victory over Paire would be a likely second round meeting with Denis Shapovalov, while Juan Martin Del Potro could prove a testing third-round clash.

Current British number one Edmund will face Australia’s Alex Bolt in next week’s first round.

World number 18 Edmund could be in for a daunting third-round tie however, with 12-time major champion Novak Djokovic lying in wait.

Johanna Konta will face Russia’s Natalia Vikhlyantseva in the first round of the women’s championships.

Konta will meet the 21-year-old from Volgograd when she kick-starts her SW19 quest next week.

British star Naomi Broady will enjoy a Centre Court showing scheduled for Tuesday, when meeting defending champion Garbine Muguruza in first round action.

And fellow Brit Gabriella Taylor will take on Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard.

British star Cameron Norrie faces an intriguing first-round tie against Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene, who has previously represented Britain.

Liam Broady will take on the Canadian world number 32 Milos Raonic.