The king is dead. Long Live Qi…well, not exactly. not yet. But on the day Andy Murray bid a painful farewell to his singles career at Wimbledon, Jack Draper stepped in to give the Center Court crowd – and the BBC primetime audience – a familiar feeling : Being tortured by Britain’s number one player.
During his five-set mini-epic against Elias Immel, every crucial moment was preceded by loud shouts of “Come on, Jack” and a chilling fist-pump from Murray. To further add to the feeling of a passing of the torch, the 22-year-old Draper even donned a hat as the shadows began to spread across the court.
Fortunately, the sun didn’t set on Draper’s Wimbledon fortnight – although he beat Immel 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 more than anyone else The predictions are relatively close.
Of course, questions were raised after the game about Murray, who had withdrawn from the singles match earlier in the day with a back injury, meaning Draper was moved from court two to center court.
“Without Andy, I wouldn’t be here,” Draper said. “Off the court, he’s an incredible guy, very funny, very genuine, one of a kind. What a competitor – what a champion. I think it’s going to be difficult to emulate what Andy has achieved.
“It’s obviously unbelievable. He’s won here a few times. He’s been part of the big four and they keep winning, keep winning. But if I keep improving and keep doing my best, I don’t see why I can’t To be a great player like Andy.
It’s great to see him setting the bar so high. But he knows he still has a ways to go to clear it.
Initially, everything seemed to be going smoothly, with Draper breaking to 15 points in the first game and leading 40-15 in the next game. But then he hit an unnecessary in-between move between his legs and somehow went on to lose the next four points, his serve and his mojo.
Immel, meanwhile, was hitting a ton of winners in the first set – 14 in fact – and he broke again at 4-3 to level the match.
To the crowd’s relief, the second set better showcased the qualities of Draper, the No. 28 seed here, as an active candidate to advance deep into contention. As he tied the game, the 6-foot-4-inch wicked left-handed serve, fierce forehand and sharp attack at the net were all evident.
The third set began with Draper hitting a great running forehand winner and immediately breaking serve. He then consolidated the break point with a beautiful lob and lob combination that helped him lead 3-1. But Immel wasn’t about to let it go, breaking as Draper eventually took a two-set lead.
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“I think there’s a perception that only the top 100 players in the world, the top 50 players in the world, or the top 20 players can play great tennis,” Draper said. “But the top 200 or 300 players in the world were incredible at their game. It was a very difficult game. He was incensed.
Draper needed just one more set to win, but in the fourth set, Immel came into his own again. Despite the fading light, the Swede seemed to see his opponent’s serve as if tracked by a beacon, while Draper lost focus and temper.
The Englishman even broke his racket at the end of the fourth set. But the delay in the roof closing before the fifth set seemed to calm his mind and strengthen his resolve. He only lost three service points in the entire fifth set and hit two aces in the final game to seal the victory.
“When the lights came on, it suddenly felt easy to see the ball,” he said. “I think my level improved a lot in the fifth set, so. My serve, my reception, just the way I play.
He then joked to the Center Court crowd: “I really like it. I know you guys want to see Andy here, but you’re stuck with me.
Draper knows he has to play better to get deep into this matchup, which will begin Thursday against compatriot Cameron Norrie. But he has proven to the wider British public that he has huge character and determination – traits that, you can imagine, would have given Murray a silent nod of approval as well.
