Andy Murray revealed he was feeling more confident after a practice session with Roger Federer as he prepares for the opening match at Wimbledon on Monday. Murray, 34, hit with his rival on Friday ahead of his first singles match at the All England Club since 2017, against 24th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili. Murray, who has been battling a groin problem for the past three months, was quoted by the <em>Press Association</em> as saying: "I've had some good practices with top players. I would like to have done more. But I'm also trying to manage the physical side as well, which is very important." Murray, who won the Wimbledon title in 2013 and 2016, added: "I want to go into Wimbledon feeling as fresh and as comfortable as possible when I get out there. "Getting to play with Roger was really cool for me. They're the sort of things that probably six, seven years ago I wouldn't have given any thought to it. I would have seen that as just being a practice session pre-major with a top player, and focusing on myself. "I'm probably appreciating those things more. When I take a step back from that, as a tennis fan, getting to play with Roger Federer two days before Wimbledon, it's really great. I haven't had the opportunity to do that sort of stuff much over the last few years. I enjoyed that. "The way that I've been performing in my practices with top players, I'm not going out there and getting whacked. I'm competing well with all of the players that I practiced with. "That's the really positive thing for me. That's one of the reasons why I'm sure, if my body holds up, that I can do well, can compete with these guys on the biggest stages." Among other star names, defending champion Novak Djokovic will face British teenage wildcard Jack Draper in his opening match. However Simona Halep, the women's winner in 2019, will not feature after withdrawing on Friday. World No1 Djokovic is halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam after winning the Australian and French Open titles this year, taking his overall tally to 19 majors. Draper, 19, will be making his Grand Slam main draw debut. Romanian Halep announced that she would be pulling out of the tournament with a calf injury that prevented her from playing at the French Open. Serena Williams, who Halep beat to won the title in 2019, will begin her latest quest to claim a record-equalling 24 Grand Slam titles, against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
