Murray hoping to summon spirit of 2016 ahead of all-British battle

Andy Murray is relishing the prospect of an all-British Wimbledon battle as he looks to summon the spirit of 2016 and continue his searing start to the grass court season. The Scot, 36, will tussle with compatriot Ryan Peniston on Centre Court this afternoon in a tantalising first round draw at SW19. Ad Murray grabbed a pair of grass court titles in Surbiton and Nottingham last month and comes into the All England Club showpiece in the best form — and physical shape — for several years since his memorable triumphs in 2013 and 2016 after being hampered by a long-term hip injury.

WimbledonUncle Toni 'very excited' to see Nadal's recovery and Wimbledon returnAN HOUR AGO On the second of those occasions, the three-time Grand Slam champion was also forced to navigate his way past a fellow British player in the opening round as he breezed past Liam Broady in straight sets. Murray, the current world No.40, will not read too deeply into those parallels from seven years ago and knows he faces a tough test against lower-ranked left-hander Peniston, who reached the second round last year after similarly impressive runs at Eastbourne and Queen's in consecutive weeks. Asked if he believes in omens, Murray — who will be rewarded with a box office second round clash against either world No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas or former US Open champion Dominic Thiem if he overcomes Peniston — said: «I don't really.

»I mean, I actually have not played against many Brits at Wimbledon before. «I don't know, maybe [against Liam] was the last time that happened or maybe the only time. I'm not sure how many Brits I've played.