It is less than three weeks since Jack Draper showed his fellow left-handers that the way to beat Carlos Alcaraz on grass was to trust the natural southpaw advantages and to “play without fear”. Once he’d conquered his doubts and let his shots flow, the British No 1 joined only seven other lefties among 32 who have tried to beat the Spaniard on the game’s original playing field.
Was the dip at Queen’s on 20 June an aberration? In the early exchanges and more fevered surroundings of Centre Court in the fourth round of the championships, Ugo Humbert might have thought so, as his best efforts died on the racket in his left hand. But, like Draper, he believed, wholeheartedly so. It was not quite enough.
