Kyle Edmund at Wimbledon 2018: With my big game and big serve, I can go deep into the tournament

Andy Murray may have been consigned to the hard courts of Raynes Park rather than Wimbledon but Kyle Edmund sees no reason why he cannot temporarily replace him as the British public’s next grass-court star.

Edmund has struggled on the surface in the past but was a confident 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 winner over Alex Bolt in his first-round match on No1 Court yesterday.

After battering down serves of up to 131mph and with one of the biggest forehand’s in the game, the British No1 was asked if there was any reason why he could not shine long into the second week.

“There’s no reason why,” he said. “When you have a big game or a big serve, you’ve got to use that to your advantage, especially on a grass court.

“It’s all down to producing on the day. There’s no reason why I can’t win matches. That’s how I view this year. I know I have a good game and always try to believe in it, be confident with it.”

Edmund, 23, is never far from the Murray reminders at Wimbledon, his locker at the venue is next to the vacant one of Murray’s, as it was at the championships a year ago.

The man he replaced as British No1 pulled out on the eve of the tournament and is practising on hard courts just three miles away with coach Jamie Delgado before flying to the US in three weeks’ time for his next event in Washington.

Edmund, meanwhile, returns to Wimbledon’s showcourts tomorrow against American Bradley Klahn and believes one facet holds the key to another confident and comfortable win.

“I find a lot of matches are won and lost at this level in the head, who makes the right decisions on the day,” he said.