- By Namrata Vijay
- Wed, 03 Jul 2024 10:19 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Wimbledon 2024: Britain’s Jack Draper had a dream start at the ongoing tournament as he got inspired by the veteran Andy Murray and defeated Elias Ymer in five sets at the Centre courts. Draper, while playing against Elias had a shaky start and was also seen struggling in the fourth set but then came from behind and defeated the Swedish 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the first round.
This match was Draper’s comeback to the ongoing Grand Slam as he missed last year’s edition due to an injury. He won in the evening and defeated an opponent, who was initially supposed to play with Andy Murray, but he pulled out due to an injury. Draper’s win uplifted the mood of English fans, who were left heartbroken by Murray’s absence. With this win, Draper entertained the crowd, by smashing a ball into the crowd.
Draper made a joke and said that although the fans had come to watch Andy Murray, but instead got stuck with him. He also thanked the fans for supporting him and admitted that they played a key role.
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"You came here to watch Andy, but you were stuck with me instead," Draper told reporters in the post-match press conference.
"The crowd helped massively, I love playing in front of a lot of people”, he added.
He also paid tribute to Murray and admitted that he wouldn’t be playing in this tournament if it wasn’t for Murray.
“I wouldn’t be here without Andy. He is an incredible guy off the court, so funny, so genuine, one of a kind. And what a competitor – and what a champion. I think it’s going to be tough to emulate what Andy’s achieved. It’s obviously unbelievable. He’s won here a couple of times. He’s been part of that Big Four era who were just winning constantly. But if I just keep on improving, keep on doing my best, I don’t see why I can’t be a great player like Andy has been”, he further said.
Draper will lock horns with Cameron Norrie in the second round and it's the same opponent against whom he went past to become England’s top male player.
Norrie, who was one of the semifinalists of the 2022 edition, qualified for the next round by beating Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta and thus ended his four-match losing streak. With this win, he bounced back, after losing four consecutive rounds in the French Open, Queen’s Club, and Eastbourne, and because of that he also slipped from the top 40 rankings.
