Andy Murray ‘most likely’ to be fit for Wimbledon

Andy Murray claims he will “most likely” be fit for his first-round match at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

The two-time Wimbledon champion has played just three matches since his return from long-term hip trouble, and has been battling to reach full sharpness in time for the tournament.

The 31-year-old former world No.1 will face France’s Benoit Paire in the first round at the All England Club, a repeat of the fourth-round tie he won in straight sets last year.

Murray had surgery on his right hip in January and only returned to action at Queen’s on June 18, when he lost to Nick Kyrgios.

“I feel alright, not much different to how I felt two days ago really,” Murray said on Friday.

The best of British…????????@kyle8edmund stops Andy Murray's run at Eastbourne – winning 6-4 6-4 to reach the last eight ????#NatureValleyInternational pic.twitter.com/MGpoTSYRrM

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 27, 2018

“I’ll chat to my team this afternoon and also see a bit how the next two days go. I’m playing sets and stuff tomorrow, and most likely yeah, I’ll play.

“The thing is I obviously don’t know every single day how things will be. I need to play it a little bit by ear.

“I can’t predict how I’m going to feel in two days. But if I feel like I do today in a couple of days, I’ll be playing.”

QUIZ: Roger v Rafa – test your knowledge

Murray overcame Stan Wawrinka at Eastbourne on Monday, only to lose in straight sets to fellow Briton Kyle Edmund in Wednesday’s second-round clash.

Murray’s 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.

“I guess obviously I could have played one of the top players in the world,” Murray, unseeded this year after his protracted injury absence, said of facing Paire.

“But at this stage where I’ at in the first round, it’s tricky for me.

“He’s a very talented guy, I played him last year in the fourth round. So he’s tough to play.”