On the news of Andy Murray’s withdrawal from this year’s singles, the referee at The Championships, Denise Parnell, quickly switched Jack Draper’s match to that spot on Centre Court — and it proved an excellent decision.
I know you probably wanted to see Andy but you were stuck with me instead, Thank you for the support. There were some nervy moments. Jack Draper
After seeing the women’s defending champion swept aside and then a clinical performance from the seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, the packed CC needed a more memorable encounter and that was provided by the new national No.1 who, in true British fashion, gave a roller-coaster of a performance but eventually, after three-hours and 17-minutes, cleared the first hurdle in the shape of Sweden’s Elias Ymer 3-6 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-3.
Whether the surprising and sudden switch to CC from No.2 Court was too much of a change of circumstance for him, plus carrying the new weight of responsibility on his broad shoulders affected him in any way, no one will know, but the 28th seed seemingly struggled against the Swede who was ranked outside the top 200 and had come through qualifying.
For him, the Switch to CC provided him with the opportunity to showcase his own talent and he certainly did.
Draper was broken in the first game as Ymer set the scene but give the 22-year-old his due, he fought back and not only made a match of it over the next three hours or so, he kept the crowd glued to their seats as Ymer levelled at two sets-all when the Brit was in command.
And perhaps more surprisingly, he showed more than usual emotion by slamming his racket – Rublev style – against his tennis bag to release his frustrations. As the Russian had revealed, smashing your racket against anything is fine-free, that is attracted when you smash the ground which is more preferable for a player!
After the match Draper thanked the crowd.
“I know you probably wanted to see Andy but you were stuck with me instead,” Draper said. “Thank you for the support. There were some nervy moments.”
He also said it was ‘an honour’ to be playing as the nation’s-top-ranked player following his predecessors, namely Tim [Henman], Andy [Murray], Cam [Norrie],
“Just a word on Andy.,” he added. “I wouldn’t be here without Andy. So funny, so genuine, one of a kind and what a competitor, what a champion and thank you very much.”
Draper missed out on the grass-court season last year due to a shoulder injury and admitted that he is enjoying making up for lost time, especially playing on Centre Court.
Jack Draper (R) shakes hands with Elias Ymer following their first round encounter
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
“I really enjoyed it,” he said in his on-court interview following his victory.
“To play in front of you guys, I missed here last year, not being able to play.”
Draper revealed that the home crowd “massively” helped him achieve what proved a hard-fought win and added: “You guys were incredible, I love playing in front of loads of people. Thank you, it really helped me out here.
“There were some nervy moments, I really appreciate the support, it helped me a lot.”
The crowd, however, will be spoilt for choice when Draper reappears for his second round and faces the man he deposed as British No.1, Cameron Norrie who beat Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta in straight sets!
