If Murray beats Wawrinka then British No 1 Kyle Edmund could lie in wait in round two
Saturday 23 June 2018 15:46, UK
Andy Murray has been handed a tough test after drawing Stan Wawrinka in the first round at Eastbourne.
The three-time Grand Slam champion made his return from nearly a year out with hip problems at Queen's Club on Tuesday, losing narrowly to Nick Kyrgios in an encouraging performance.
But despite a much weaker field at the Nature Valley International, the 31-year-old wild card was paired with three-time major winner Wawrinka, who is working his way back from a lengthy injury of his own following a double knee operation in 2017. He reached the second round at Queen's before losing to Sam Querrey.
Wawrinka last week warned Murray not to rush his return from hip surgery, telling the Scot just how difficult it is to play at a Grand Slam after so long on the sidelines.
He said: "If I take my experience, what's important is how he's going to be in the next match he plays."
The winner of the clash is likely to face second-seed Kyle Edmund in round two, with Argentina's Diego Schwartzman the top-ranked entrant.
Murray, currently ranked 156 in the world, is yet to say whether he will play in Wimbledon, which starts a week on Monday.
We will have the final of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle on Sunday with Roger Federer up against Borna Coric, live on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Mix from 12pm.
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