French Open draw: Andy Murray To Play Stan Wawrinka News

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French Open draw: Andy Murray To Play Stan Wawrinka

By Daily sports on September 25, 2020

Andy Murray will meet fellow three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the French Open first round – the man whom the Briton played in his last match on the Paris clay in 2017.

British women's number one Johanna Konta, seeded ninth, has been handed an eye-catching opener against American teenager Coco Gauff.

Edmund’s withdrawal means there will be six British players taking part in the singles, which start at Roland Garros in Paris on Sunday.

The first-round matches in the men’s and women’s singles take place across the first three days.

The fortnight-long tournament is usually held at the end of May and the start of June but was postponed to this new date because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tournament director Guy Forget still hopes 5,000 fans will be allowed in to watch, despite the French government banning public gatherings of more than 1,000 people in cities like Paris.

“We feel 5,000 is very, very safe. We are playing the tournament on the size of 15 football fields on an outdoor stadium,” he said.

Murray is back at Roland Garros for the first time since having two operations on a hip injury that almost ended his career.

Poignantly he has been drawn against Switzerland's Wawrinka, who has also struggled with injuries in recent years.

The 33-year-old Scot's last match at Roland Garros was a five-set semi-final against Wawrinka, with Murray saying this week that it was that “brutal” match that “turned out to be the end” of his hip.

A resurfacing operation in January 2019 has resurrected Murray’s career and he will be playing in his second Grand Slam singles event since the operation, having also competed at the US Open this month.

Murray and 35-year-old Wawrinka have already had a chance to measure each other up after practising together on Court Philippe Chatrier this week. (BBC)

•PHOTO: Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka

Source Daily sports

Posted September 25, 2020