Jack Draper has now given his thoughts on the crowd at Queen’s this year, having played in front of them twice.
The first match came against Jenson Brooksby, as he brushed the American aside in an impressive performance.
However, yesterday was not so straightforward, as the 23-year-old was forced to dig deep against the big-serving Alexei Popyrin. It took a third-set tiebreak to claim victory and progress into the quarter-finals.
Having admitted to feeling quite flat during the match, Jack Draper has outlined the impact the crowd had on propelling him to another key win.
Asked in his post-match press conference whether the crowd had pushed him over the line, he admitted: ‘Big time, yeah.
‘I thought today especially, you know, I needed it. I think in the first set I was pretty flat. I played a really poor game.
‘You know, it was tough. He was serving cannons, and I felt quite low on my energy. I have not been feeling so good. I think I really got myself going. I think the crowd picked up on that. I think maybe the crowd picked up on the fact that I needed that energy. And definitely I felt that in the second and third set. Started to feel like they were behind me. In the tiebreak also.
‘Yeah, seemed like they were quite worn out by it, because it’s really not many people left in the stadium now. I appreciate all their support, and it definitely was a big factor in why I was able to get over the line today.’
If he ever needed another incentive to perform, Taylor Fritz has given Draper a golden opportunity for Wimbledon after his early exit at Queen’s, with his goal clear.
Jack Draper dug deep to beat Alexei Popyrin at Queen’s
The mark of a true champion is when they are playing poorly and yet still manage to grind out a win.
That’s exactly what Draper managed to do on Wednesday, against a dangerous opponent.
The Australian has racked up some high-profile scalps during his career, and particularly across the last 12 months, which include Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud on clay, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.
During his period, he also won his maiden Masters 1000 title too at the Canadian Open.
So, to come up against the firing Aussie whilst his own energy was low, and still manage to grind out a win, marks a huge moment for Draper ahead of Wimbledon.
This should give him huge confidence going into his home Grand Slam, and hopefully propel him further at Queen’s with Brandon Nakashima up next.
