Roger Federer and Garbine Muguruza launch their Wimbledon defences on Monday, and the draw has left for plenty of head scratching as to who could stop them along the way.

With a handful of Grand Slam champions set to continue their injury comebacks at SW19, both draws have the potential to throw up big-name encounters before the middle Sunday rolls around.

Here, we analyse the seeds to avoid, the dangers for Federer, Muguruza and their nearest contenders, and look at why Andy Murray's late withdrawl means no British player will be expected to make the second week.

The title defenders

Federer and Muguruza's grass-court preparations have given hope to those looking to end their Wimbledon reign.

Having skipped clay to focus on winning a ninth Wimbledon title, Federer started serenely with victory in Stuttgart, but his Halle Open final loss to Borna Coric will have been watched by all those charged with sending the 36-year-old packing.

In his tilt for Grand Slam title No 21, Federer opens up against Dusan Lajovic on Monday, and as fate would have it, he could face 21-year-old Coric in the fourth round.

Meanwhile, Muguruza was looking strong at the French Open before falling to eventual winner Simona Halep in the semi-finals. The switch to grass has not been smooth, having played just two matches after losing to Barbora Strycova in the second round in Birmingham.

Muguruza should have little issue overcoming British wildcard Naomi Broady in the first round, but she would do well to make the final once more, as she is on a collision course to meet Halep or Maria Sharapova in the last four.

The nearest contenders

Federer's half of the draw features big-servers by the dozen, and while there is the potential to face last year's losing finalist and Queen's champion Marin Cilic in the semi-finals, it's the bottom half of the draw which sets the heart racing.

Joining world No 1 Rafael Nadal in this horrid half are Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro, both of whom have the weapons to dash the Spaniard's hopes of a showdown with Federer on July 15, a decade on from their epic final – widely regarded as the greatest of all time.

Meanwhile, Halep stands as Muguruza's greatest threat, with the world No 1 finally ending her wait for a Grand Slam at Roland Garros last month. The Romanian could face 2004 champion Sharapova in the quarters.

Build-up to the tournament was dominated by talk of Serena Williams' potential seeding, and the seven-time Wimbledon winner bizarrely slots in at 25, despite being world No 181, but also one of the favourites.

It means a third-round meeting with fifth seed Elina Svitolina is on the cards, while second seed Caroline Wozniacki will also be cursing her luck that the American has been placed in her quarter.

The young pretenders

Once more, it's the bottom half of the men's draw which contains the names to look out for here.

Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev are already household tennis names, but at 23 and 21 respectively, they still carry the hopes of the sport's next generation. The duo could potentially face off in the quarter-finals.

Look out too for 19-year-old Denis Shapovalov – the youngest player in the world’s top 100 at 26. The talented Canadian, who won the Wimbledon juniors title two years ago, could prove more than a match for Andy Murray in the second round.

Aryna Sabalenka will be another player to watch. The 20-year-old lost to Wozniacki in Eastbourne, but has shot up to 32 in the world as a result. Unseeded for the tournament, she will be dreaming of facing Karolina Pliskova in the third round, and potentially Venus Williams in the fourth.

Hope for the Brits?

Murray faced a daunting draw before withdrawing on Sunday, and having deemed the five-setters of Wimbledon too much of a strain on his recovering hip, British hopes rest heavily on Kyle Edmund, who reached the last four at this year's Australian Open.

However, Edmund is destined for an early exit unless he can beat an ever-improving Djokovic in the third round.

And what chance of Johanna Konta repeating her heroics to the semi-finals last year? Not high, going by recent form, and with Halep a potential third-round opponent, the prospect of no Brit making the second week appears to be a distinct possibility.