So close
Jack Draper is two matches away from rewriting a small yet significant piece of British tennis history.
After a defeat in the opening round last year, the 16-year-old left-hander from Surrey overcame Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in three sets to become the first British boy to reach the junior semi-finals since British No.1 Kyle Edmund in 2013.
Although Britain’s Laura Robson won the girls’ singles title in 2008, it’s been 56 years since Stanley Matthews clinched the boy’s title.
Just like Matthews, who was the son of the former England footballer with the same name, Draper comes from a sporty family.
Draper’s older brother, Ben, also competed as a junior player before going to college in the US, while their father, Roger Draper, was the chief executive of the British Lawn Tennis Association between 2006 and 2013.
Having grown up around tennis, is it perhaps not surprising Jack’s idol is 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon winner Andy Murray?
“I’m not just saying that because he’s British, but just the way he plays, and when I was younger I came and watched the [2013] final against Djokovic, and I think for any young tennis player, especially British, watching Murray is very inspirational,’’ Draper told the website of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) after moving to the semi-final on Thursday.
Draper, the world No.41 on the junior rankings, told the ITF he has vastly improved his forehand, serve and movement since he started working with coach Ryan Jones.
After losing in the first round of the men’s Qualifying event, Draper upset Bulgarian No.7 seed Adrian Andreev in the second round of the boys’ singles, followed by a victory over American No.11 seed Tristan Boyer in the third round.
On Friday, Draper takes on Nicolas Mejia, the No.5 seed from Colombia, on No.3 Court for a spot in the boys’ singles final.
The pair have played each other twice, with Draper winning on clay in Mexico in 2017 while the 18-year-old Colombian emerged victorious on grass in Roehampton, England, also last year.
It’s Wimbledon, I’m British, it’s in my own country and it’s very prestigious, so just to be playing here is a privilege
In 2013, Murray famously ended 77 years of heartbreak as he became the first British man to win the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1936.
With Murray injured and British women's No.1 Johanna Konta losing early, all eyes will be on Draper as he now flies the flag for Britain in singles.
But, as Billie Jean King once famously said, "pressure is a privilege."
“It’s Wimbledon, I’m British, it’s in my own country and it’s very prestigious, so just to be playing here is a privilege,” Draper told the ITF.