the draw Scot kicks off grand slam quest against up-and-coming Spaniard, writes Simon Cambers

Andy Murray was as quick off the mark as anyone yesterday as Wimbledon produced the kind of story that only they can manage on a rainy day. While the Scot stays focused and relaxed after his title draw against Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver, he was as aghast as everyone else when the names of John Isner and Nicolas Mahut were drawn alongside each other for the second year in a row.

The two men who played the longest match of all time at last year’s Championships, over 11 hours, five minutes over three days of incredible drama, will have to do it all again. As Murray said on Twitter: “Isner versus Mahut drawing each other in the first round after last year is the most amazing thing I’ve seen in tennis!”

“Centre Court anyone?”

His brother, Jamie, wondered aloud whether the rematch would take away from the magnitude of their match of 12 months ago, a contest that saw all of Wimbledon’s records for the longest match smashed. But others joined Murray in calling for it to be put on Centre Court.

The odds on that happening two years in a row had mathematicians coming out of the woodwork, but as ever, Murray was playing things a little safer, keen to play down the likelihood of a possible semi-final showdown with Rafael Nadal, a repeat of last year’s clash with the world No.1 at the same stage.

“It’s not worth thinking about Rafa and the semi-finals,” said Murray, after managing to squeeze in five games of an exhibition match with Viktor Troicki before the rains came again at Stoke Park yesterday. Going into the first match I have got to make sure I am focused.

“Rafa last year had quite a few tough matches early on. Roger [Federer] had a big scare against someone you wouldn’t have expected him to have a tough match against. You need to be switched on from the first match, and I will be.

“ I am going into Wimbledon with the feeling I am going to win – you can’t go in with any other attitude.”

Murray won his only previous match with Spaniard Gimeno-Traver, a straightforward victory on hard courts in Valencia in 2009.

A second-round meeting with Tobias Kamke of Germany or the Slovene, Blaz Kavcic, would follow but then things start to get trickier with Marin Cilic, the 27th seed and the man who beat him at the US Open two years ago, next and Richard Gasquet, the talented Frenchman, a potential fourth-round foe. Andy Roddick is seeded to face him in the quarters and Nadal in the semis.

The top four have separated themselves from the rest in recent times but none of them have the simplest of draws. Top seed and defending champion Nadal could face big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in the third round; No.2 Djokovic has a tough opener in Frenchman Jeremy Chardy and could play Marcos Baghdatis in round three; and Federer has Isner in his section.

The three other British men in the draw – all wild cards – were handed tough assignments. James Ward, who captured plenty of headlines by reaching the semi-finals of the Aegon Championships at the London Queen’s Club last week, takes on the experienced Frenchman, Michael Llodra, one of the few remaining exponents of the serve and volley game.

“I’m feeling really confident at the moment with the way I’ve been playing over the last few weeks on grass,” Ward said. “Llodra will be by no means an easy match.

“He’s got a really good grass court game, with a big serve and he serves and volleys a lot. He won Eastbourne last year so it will be tough but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Daniel Cox, playing his first Wimbledon, takes on Ukrainian world No.35 Sergiy Stakhovskiy, while Dan Evans faces Florian Mayer of Germany.

In the doubles, Scot Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins were handed a difficult clash against the No.7 seeds Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland. Jamie Murray and Stakhovskiy will meet fellow Brits David Rice and Sean Thornley.