The king is dead. Long live the ki … well, not entirely. Not yet. But on the day that Andy Murray waved a pained goodbye to his singles career at Wimbledon, Jack Draper stepped in to give the Centre Court crowd – and a primetime BBC audience – a familiar sensation: being put through an emotional wringer by a British No 1 tennis player.
There were loud cries of “Come on Jack” before every big point in his five-set mini epic against Elias Ymer, as well as a fist pump eerily reminiscent of Murray. To further add to the sense of the torch being passed, the 22-year-old Draper even wore a cap when the shadows began to creep across the court.
Fortunately, the sun did not set on Draper’s Wimbledon fortnight – although his 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory against Ymer was far closer than anyone had predicted.
Naturally, there were questions after the match about Murray, who pulled out of the singles earlier in the day with a back injury – which meant that Draper moved from No 2 Court to Centre Court.
“I wouldn’t be here without Andy,” Draper said. “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 times. He’s been part of that Big Four era who were just winning constantly, 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.”
It is good to see him setting the bar so high. But he knows he still has some way to go to clear it.
Initially it all seemed to be going to the form book as Draper broke to 15 in the first game, and raced to a 40-15 lead in the next. But then he hit an unnecessary tweener between his legs, and somehow went on to lose the next four points, his serve, and his mojo.
Meanwhile Ymer was hitting winners galore in the first set – 14 of them in fact – as he broke again at 4-3 before closing it out.
To the relief of the crowd, the second set provided a better demonstration of the traits that make Draper, who is seeded 28 here, a lively candidate to have a deep run. That wicked lefty serve from a 6ft 4in frame, a bludgeoning forehand and a sharp net game were all evident as he levelled the match.
The third set began with Draper hitting a superb running forehand winner before breaking immediately. He then consolidated the break, helped by a lovely drop shot and lob combination that put him 3-1 ahead. But Ymer was not going to lie down, and broke back before Draper was finally able to go two sets to one up.
“I think people have the narrative that only the top-100 players in the world or top-50 players in the world or top-20 players play great tennis,” Draper said. “But the world’s top 200 or 300 play unbelievable on their day. It was a really tough match. He was fired up.”
Draper needed only one more set for victory but in the fourth set Ymer got a second wind. Despite the fading light, the Swede seemed to be seeing his opponent’s serve like it was being tracked by a lighthouse, while Draper was losing his concentration – and his temper.
At the end of the fourth set, the Briton even smashed his racket. But the delay as the roof was closed before the fifth set seemed to calm his mind and strengthen his resolve. He lost only three points on serve in the entire fifth set – and hit two aces in the final game to seal the victory.
“When the lights came on, it felt like all of a sudden it was so easy to see the ball,” he said. “I think my level went massively higher in the fifth set because of that. My serve, my returns, just the way I was playing.”
He then joked to the Centre Court crowd: “I really enjoyed it. I know you guys wanted to see Andy out here, but you were stuck with me instead.”
Draper knows he will have to play a lot better to go deep into this tournament, starting against his compatriot Cameron Norrie on Thursday. But he has proved to the wider British public that he has immense character and resolve – traits, you imagine, that would make Murray nod quietly in approval, too.
