Jack Pinnington Jones has fellow Brits in his corner at Wimbledon
'I wouldn't be surprised if he has a good run this week or at the end of the day will finish the year with a high ranking.'
Draper is someone worth listening to, given both his own stature within the game as world No.4 and his personal proximity to Pinnington Jones.
The pair spent time training together as teenagers, with Pinnington Jones revealing how Draper would drive him to early morning sessions at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, south west London.
'He would say, 'Right, I'm going to be there at 6:30. You're either there or you're not.' I'd be every time half asleep,' said Pinnington Jones.
'Jack has been great to me. He's always looking out for me. I just saw him after the match. He came up, congratulated me.
'He sent me a text just before I went on saying, 'You're ready for this, go and embrace it'. It just means a lot he's there supporting me. He's one of my best friends. For him to back me and believe in me, it's great.'
Pinnington Jones has also been moulded by Fearnley and Norrie, with all three coming through the college system at Texas Christian University.
The 22-year-old from Ashtead had his own section of the Lone Star State in south west London during his victory over Etcheverry, with large parts of Court 17 decked out in TCU t-shirts and leading chants of 'JPJ'.
He responded with a bullfrog hand signal to celebrate victory – a nod to the college's nickname – and later revealed the key role former British No.1 Norrie played in helping him make his choice.
'Once I decided I wanted to go to the college route, I did a week training with him at TCU before I decided whether I wanted to go or not,' said Jones. 'He's just been really great to me.
'I think that's pretty special to have those guys, especially Jack, Cam, and Jake just sort of being there for me and knowing that I can lean on them if I need anything and if I have any questions.'
There were few questions for Pinnington Jones during his first round encounter, who looked right at home playing his first-ever best-of-five sets contest.
After edging a first set tiebreak, the 22-year-old took control in the second before fighting back from a break down in the third to ensure he had victory wrapped up before the light faded on Tuesday evening
'To start your career with your best-ever win on the biggest stage you dreamt of as a child, it's sort of a perfect storybook start for me,' he reflected.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
18 minutes ago
- Wales Online
New Emma Raducanu romance rumour as tennis ace seen in stands after Carlos Alcaraz comments
New Emma Raducanu romance rumour as tennis ace seen in stands after Carlos Alcaraz comments Emma Raducanu has been making plenty of headlines at Wimbledon, and not just for her performance on the court, as romance rumours continue to surround the British star Emma Raducanu has been romantically linked with a second tennis player following rumours about her relationship with Carlos Alcaraz (Image: PA Wire ) As Emma Raducanu's 2025 Wimbledon campaign gets into full swing, the spotlight isn't just on her tennis prowess. The British No. 1, 22, has sparked fresh romance rumours, with former tennis prodigy Benjamin Heynold spotted cheering her on from the stands at the All England Club. Heynold, 24, a student at the University of North Carolina, was seen in a light blue shirt and cap, watching intently alongside Raducanu's coach Nick Cavaday during her second round win over Marketa Vondrousova on Wednesday. Heynold and Raducanu share a deep history, having known each other since they were six years old and represented Team GB together in their junior tennis days. Their long-standing friendship, evidenced by a heartwarming 2016 photo of the pair which has been doing the rounds on social media, has fuelled speculation that their relationship may have blossomed into something more serious. This isn't the first time Heynold has been by her side. He was also spotted in her team's corner during her quarter-final run at Queen's last month. His consistent presence, including appearing in the background of a selfie Raducanu took during the tournament, has only intensified whispers of a romantic connection. Article continues below Former tennis prodigy Benjamin Heynold has been spotted supporting Emma Raducanu from the sidelines at Wimbledon (Image: PA ) However, Heynold isn't the only name linked to Raducanu. Rumours have also swirled around her friendship with reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, with whom she is set to partner in mixed doubles at the US Open in August. The pair have been close since kicking off their pro careers in 2021, and speculation surrounding a possible romantic entanglement intensified when Raducanu was seen supporting Alcaraz at Queen's. The young Brit was asked to comment on the romance rumours at a press conference ahead of Wimbledon last week, and poured cold water on the speculation. "We're just good friends," she told reporters. Emma Raducanu and Benjamin Heynold have known each other for years (Image: Emma Raducanu/ Instagram ) Adding a playful twist to the narrative, Nick Kyrgios suggested that Raducanu might be at the centre of a "love triangle" involving Alcaraz and British No. 1 Jack Draper. "I don't know, I think it's a love triangle," the Australian tennis ace said on talkSPORT. "Draper, Alcaraz, Raducanu. They're fighting over Raducanu I think." While Kyrgios' comments were tongue-in-cheek, they highlight the intense public interest in Raducanu's personal life as she navigates her rising stardom. Raducanu, who split from her former boyfriend Carlo Agostinelli last year, has previously spoken about her strict upbringing in Bromley, where her parents discouraged dating to focus on her training. Now, as she balances her professional resurgence with personal scrutiny, her performance at Wimbledon remains the focal point. Emma Raducanu has been romantically linked to Carlos Alcaraz (Image: Getty ) After breezing through the opening rounds with back-to-back straight-set wins, Raducanu now faces her toughest challenge yet: world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian, runner-up at both the Australian Open and French Open this year, heads into Friday's match as the favourite to finally capture her maiden title at the All England Club. Still, if Raducanu can overcome the three-time Grand Slam champion, she'll instantly be seen as a genuine contender for the crown. Article continues below Her recent performances hint at a return to the form that propelled her to a sensational US Open victory in 2021 – but this showdown with Sabalenka will serve as a true test of her technical sharpness and mental resilience.
The Herald Scotland
44 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Josh Macleod returning from injury ‘massive' for Wales
But the Scarlets skipper joins Taulupe Faletau and Alex Mann in the back row for Saturday's First Test in Kitakyushu, as Sherratt makes 11 changes from the side humbled 68-14 by England in the Six Nations Championship in March. Faletau, prop Nicky Smith, centre Ben Thomas and full-back Blair Murray are the survivors from that record Cardiff defeat. 'There's a number of players who've worked their way back into the squad,' said Sherratt, who remains in interim charge after replacing Warren Gatland during the Six Nations and is seeking to end a run of 17 consecutive Test defeats for Wales. '(It's) Something we made a big point of in the first team meeting. 'Josh Macleod is an obvious one. He's struggled with some injuries, had a real rollercoaster over the last three or four years, so him coming back in is massive. 'I think you could tell from the players' reaction when Liam Belcher was selected (on the bench) how much he deserves it. 'He's been in the regional game for 10 years. He's changed clubs. 'He's gone back to university to do an electrician's degree and then he's managed to work his way into the national squad. So yeah, delighted for Liam.' The uncapped Belcher takes his place among the replacements with Sherratt having plumped for a relatively new-look pack. Captain Dewi Lake returns at hooker and is joined in the front row by Smith and Keiron Assiratti. With second-row forwards Dafydd Jenkins and Will Rowlands unavailable for various reasons, Ben Carter and Teddy Williams step into the engine room. Interim head coach Matt Sherratt is seeking to end a run of 17 consecutive Test defeats for Wales in Japan (David Davies/PA) The changes in the back division see recalls for wingers Josh Adams and Tom Rogers, as well as centre Johnny Williams, who last featured for Wales at the 2023 World Cup. Kieran Hardy and Sam Costelow form a new half-back partnership, with Tomos Williams – who along with skipper Jac Morgan was selected for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia – and Gareth Anscombe having started against England. Costelow and Carter missed the Six Nations campaign through injury. Sherratt said: 'We've had a very good build-up. We tried to give everyone a fair chance of selection. 🏴 Taking the jersey to the heart of Kitakyushu 🇯🇵❤️#WelshRugby — Welsh Rugby Union 🏴 (@WelshRugbyUnion) July 1, 2025 'One of the key messages was it's going to be a 23-man job. 'So, we've tried to spread the experience out in terms of getting some experience coming off the bench. 'I think an 80-minute performance, that physical edge and making sure that we transfer training into the game is going to be the biggest thing for us. 'It's going to be humid. It's going to be hot. Japan traditionally play quite a fast brand of rugby, so us getting up to speed with that is going to be key.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Emma Raducanu sees Wimbledon interview hijacked - but she has perfect response
Emma Raducanu comfortably defeated Marketa Vondrousova to reach the third round of Wimbledon, with the British No.1 claiming a strong straight sets win over the 2023 winner Emma Raducanu playfully turned the microphone towards the Wimbledon crowd as they persistently interrupted her on-court interview. The British sensation breezed into the third round after a straight-sets victory over former champion Marketa Vondrousova, setting up a mouthwatering clash with world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. Despite some patchy form in recent years, Raducanu remains a darling of the Wimbledon crowd. Her matches at the All England Club this year have been accompanied by thunderous support for the 2021 US Open champion. Fans have disrupted both of her on-court interviews so far, but Raducanu took it all in stride after her defeat of the 2023 champ, laughing throughout. One unintelligible shout even drew surprised laughter from the 22 year old. Raducanu paused after being asked a question about Sabalenka, laiughing. In an amusing moment, after another call from the crowd, she lifted up the microphone and turned it to the crowd, seemingly suggesting that they should answer instead. Injuries and fluctuations in form have hampered her ability to maintain peak performance over the past four years. Yet, she's been on top form at Wimbledon this time around, sailing through her matches without dropping a single set under challenging conditions. Raducanu skilfully handled a potential upset against Britain's own wildcard, teenager Mimi Xu, and followed up with a convincing win over Vondrousova, with both encounters ending in identical 6-3 6-3 scorelines. Brimming with confidence, Raducanu is eager to take on Sabalenka, shrugging off any pressure as she looks forward to their clash. "She is number one in the world right now," Raducanu remarked about her third-round adversary in her post-match interview. "She's so dominant on the tour, she's won literally everything so it's going to be a really difficult match. "All I can do is control my side of the court as best as possible. When you play an opponent like her, you know you have to play well. "Yeah, I guess there is no pressure at all on me in the next round!". Earlier in the day, Sabalenka faced a stern challenge from Marie Buskova, requiring a tiebreaker to clinch the first set before securing the second 6-4.
