One of the biggest developments in British tennis in recent years has been the rise of 23-year-old Jack Draper. Post the eye-catching aura of Andy Murray for years over British tennis, the most substantial contributions have come from Draper’s racquet. The Brit steps into his home tournament once again in the quest of his first championship at the HSBC Championships in Queen’s, London.
Draper speaks about Murray at Queen’s
The Queen’s Club crowd, too, must be hopeful of their first British winner since 2016 when Andy Murray had won his fifth and last singles crown at the event. Second seed Draper, in his pre-tournament press conference, lauded Murray as an inspiration for himself when asked about the newly built Andy Murray Arena at the event.
“We just can’t get rid of him,” Draper joked. “He is a huge inspiration to me. I remember coming here, watching him play when I was very young. I had a photo of him with the trophy. Watching him play Wimbledon and the legacy he leaves behind is massive. He’s won here five times.” Draper acknowledged how big an inspiration Murray has been for him and also recalled some moments of his childhood when he watched the legend take the court. He also mentioned the record five titles of Murray at the event.
“Hopefully I get to see him a little bit over this period. I definitely look back at old videos of him playing and have always been very inspired by him. To play on his court, I think it’s a great thing they’ve done,” added Draper.
Jack Draper beat Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s event at this very venue. It was a Round of 16 contest. However, Draper couldn’t continue the good work as he lost in the quarterfinals to American Tommy Paul. The Brit had shown serious promise last year. It will be interesting to see if he can convert that promise into a substantial result. If the draw moves ahead as expected the Brit will face Alcaraz in the final, which would certainly be a mouth-watering clash right before Wimbledon.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
