Reigning champion Pete Sampras will start his campaign for a sixth Wimbledon crown against Australian Scott Draper, who won at Queen's Club a year ago.
The draw for the first round, which was made at the All England club yesterday, means number two seed Pat Rafter will have to wait to find out who he will play, as will last year's beaten finalist Goran Ivanisevic who also faces a qualifier. Fourth seed and French Open champion Andre Agassi takes on Romanian Andrei Pavel.
In the women's event, top seed Martina Hingis must also wait to know her opponent, while second seed and French Open champion Steffi Graf takes on Slovakian Ludmila Cervanova.
Defending champion and fifth seed Jana Novotna, yet to prove her fitness after injuring her right ankle at the French Open, faces Taipei's Shi-Ting Wang while Venus and Serena Williams could make it a family affair in the last 16.
But perhaps the most intriguing clashes will see 15th seed Dominique Van Roost take on Russian teenager Anna Kournikova and Germany's Anke Huber facing American Jennifer Capriati.
Inevitably, the British media only had eyes for their own. Ignoring the form-book, Tim Henman has declared himself 100 per cent ready, willing and able to clinch his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon next week.
The world number six, who was yesterday drawn against Frenchman Arnaud Di Pasquale, reached the semi-finals 12 months ago before losing to eventual winner Sampras.
And despite another defeat at the hands of his friend Sampras in the final at Queen's last weekend, the sixth seed will arrive at Wimbledon brimming with confidence.
"I have had a great build-up to Wimbledon this year and I do dream of winning it," said Henman, who became the first Briton since 1973 to reach the last four last year.
The 24-year-old should have little trouble with Pasquale, who has never played at Wimbledon before and prefers slow clay and hard courts to the lightning fast grass of SW19.
But British number two Greg Rusedski has been handed a tough opening draw against experienced Australian Jason Stoltenberg, who reached the semi-finals in 1996 before losing to eventual champion Richard Krajicek.
Rusedski disappointingly lost in the quarter-finals of the Stella Artois Championships to Armenian Sargis Sargsian, who ironically could be Henman's second-round opponent.
Henman and Rusedski remain the great British hopes, however. Wild card Miles Maclagan has been given the unenviable task of facing three-time champion Boris Becker, who is making his farewell appearance, while Barry Cowan, another British hopeful, has fared little better as he has drawn American Davis Cup hero Jim Courier.
