The king is dead, the spirit is eternal… well, not exactly. Not yet. But on the day that Andy Murray announced he had played his final singles match at Wimbledon, Jack Draper stepped in his place, giving the Centre Court crowd – and a primetime BBC One audience – the all-too-familiar feeling of being emotionally overwhelmed by the British number one.
There were thunderous shouts of “Go Jack” before every crucial point and fist-pumping eerily reminiscent of Murray, especially during the turbulent final two sets – Murray even had to pull his hat down to shade his eyes as shadows crept over the court – but fortunately for Draper, the sun hadn’t set on the Wimbledon fortnight.
His first match against Elias Ymer, a 28-year-old Swede ranked 205th with nine losses in 10 Grand Slam matches, was expected to be a total breeze. That was not the case at all. Draper was nervous early on and then strong but very shaky, but he eventually won 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in a mini-epic three hours and 17 minutes.
“It was so much fun,” Draper said, joking with the Centre Court crowd, “I know you all wanted to see Andy here, but he got to be with me instead.”
Draper then insisted he was ready to take on the British number one spot, before paying tribute to Murray. “Without Andy I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
“He’s an incredible guy off the court, so funny, so genuine, so one of a kind. And what a great competitor and what a great champion.”
Draper, 22, needed to show similar spirit when he took to Centre Court in place of Scotsman Murray, who withdrew earlier on Tuesday with a back injury.
But initially, it all seemed to be going according to plan. Draper broke to 15 in the first game of the match, thanks to some nifty drop shots. In fact, the Englishman even seemed determined to have some fun – maybe a little too much. Leading 40-15 in the next game, he hit an unnecessary tweener between the legs, only to pay the price by losing the next four points and his serve.
This seemed to rattle Draper, whose forehands were often too short, and he broke again at 4-3, soon finishing the first set, but most of it was down to Ymer’s brilliant play, with 14 winners coming off the Swede’s racquet and just four unforced errors.
To the relief of the crowd, the second set saw Draper better showcasing why he is a strong contender to perform in this championship: With a powerful left-handed serve, a powerful forehand and a sharp net game from his 6-foot-4 frame, Draper won the set 6-3 and tied the match.
Problem solved? Not quite. The third set began with Draper breaking Ymer shortly after he double-faulted with a nice running forehand winner. Draper then consolidated the break and went on the offensive, taking a 3-1 lead with a nice drop shot/lob combination.
After newsletter promotion
It would have been easy for Ymer to hang his head, but he was helped by two superb running forehand winners and a stunning unforced backhand error from Draper to go up to 3-3, but the Englishman showed great tenacity to break back and win the third set 6-4.
But again, Draper lost focus. Leading 40-15 in the opening game of the fourth set, Draper hit an easy volley straight at his opponent, and Ymer took advantage by first lobbing and then breaking him. They then traded breaks before Ymer finally took the set 6-4.
Draper’s response? Smashing his racket in frustration, but the roof closing before the fifth set seemed to calm him down and strengthen his resolve. He broke early in the fifth set and missed five more break points when he was leading 4-1, but it didn’t matter as a backhand winner ultimately decided the match. Draper only lost three points on serve in the entire fifth set.
It’s no wonder he praised the crowd after his performance. “You guys were amazing,” he said. “I love playing in front of big audiences. There were some nerve-wracking moments, but I’m grateful for all the support. It helps a lot.”
Draper will face compatriot Cam Norrie on Thursday and knows he will have to play better to advance, but he certainly proved his character and determination.
