Monday 15 June 2015 16:04, UK
Andy Murray says this year's stunning Queen's Club field means there is no easy way in to the grass-court season.
Eight of the world's top 13 players have signed up for the AEGON Championships, the Wimbledon warm-up won three times by Murray between 2009 and 2013.
And that means the likes of Nick Kyrgios, Fernando Verdasco and Sam Querrey will be unseeded when the main tournament begins on Monday.
A later start date for Wimbledon means players have enjoyed an extra week to adapt to the grass after the clay-court season, but top seed Murray knows a tough assignment awaits in west London.
He told Sky Sports: "Obviously it's a very tough field before a larger draw. Sometimes in the first couple of rounds, if you had a good draw, you could ease yourself into the grass-court season.
"That's not happening this year. Some of the guys playing here not seeded are excellent tennis players, and it's going to be very challenging. You need to be ready from the off this year."
Murray's most recent Queen's victory in 2013 preceded his Wimbledon title, but he said: "I don't think if I win this it guarantees I'm going to win Wimbledon.
"I always treat it as important, but some years I haven't played well here and had a good run at Wimbledon, and sometimes I have played well here and not done as well at Wimbledon."
