Latest news with #JackDraper
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The making of the 'monster': Jack Draper left Chelsea's academy and told his parents he had to quit school before his relentless drive to the top... those who helped him get there reveal secrets behind his success
There's a fabulous, untold yarn about Jack Draper that tells us a little about his backhand and far more about his mind. It is also why the sharer of this tale uses 'savage' as a term of endearment. To get there, we must go back 13 years, to when Draper was 10 and his coach at the time felt a tweak was necessary.
Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Times
The British kids coached for Wimbledon — in 6 years' time
It's 9am on a sunny Sunday and, while most children are watching cartoons or heading to the beach, in a south London suburb a group of under-tens is doing fierce battle. 'Keep believing!' one dad shouts from a line of parents barely managing to sit still on plastic chairs, their eyes fixed on their budding tennis stars. 'Come on!' someone's mother yells. Outside, a small boy holding a large racket is being given a whispered lecture about 'staying focused'. On court, the kids are just as serious. 'Let's go!' screams a girl in plaits as she sends a winner sailing past her opponent. There's a lot of grand slam-style grunting as balls are hit with all the aggression (quite a lot, as it turns out) that pre-teens can muster. Welcome to mini Wimbledon. Well, the All England Lawn Tennis Club's 22-acre community centre in Raynes Park — a stone's throw from SW19 — which provides world-class facilities to help Britain's junior talent grow into the next Andy Murray. Actually, forget Murray. These youngsters are more interested in being the next Emma Raducanu, who won the 2021 US Open aged 18, or Jack Draper, 23, the world No 4. The latter is an ambassador for the charity Tennis First, which has put on today's tournament and offers grants to talented juniors it feels could break into the world's Top 250. Over the past two decades, it has funded more than 300 Brits — including Draper, Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Jacob Fearnley and Harriet Dart. So is it easy to spot grand slam potential? And what does it take to raise the next Jack or Emma? • Andy Murray to get a statue at Wimbledon 'You can tell at such a young age,' says Abbie Probert, 36, a former junior player and the director of Tennis First. 'Everyone can hit forehands and backhands but there's something that sets them apart, whether it's reading the game tactically or being mentally strong. 'The parents will always be competitive, because they want their child to succeed. I can understand that perception of the pushy parent; they want to encourage them and they don't always know the best way to do that. But if they want it more than the child, it's never going to work. It has to come from the kids or it's game over.' And all that enthusiasm comes with a time limit. To make the Top 250, Probert explains, you need to be on track — with a fully rounded game — by the age of ten. Yes, you read that correctly. 'The kids are like mini pros now,' she says. 'They do warm-ups and match analysis. They have an entourage: tennis coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, psychologists. They're nine and looking at what they eat and how they sleep. They're building a social media following. The tennis player is being shaped.' Looking at the procession of determined youngsters here, racket bags slung over their shoulders, striding to their next match as though it's on Centre Court, it seems hard to disagree. 'I want to play grand slams and be world No 1,' ten-year-old Joshua Lotsu says confidently. If he could win one grand slam? 'Wimbledon,' he says, looking at me as though that's the most obvious thing in the world. 'Well, someone has to,' his father, Lebene, chimes in. Joshua first picked up a racket aged four, during lockdown, when his dad started hitting a softball with him in the family sitting room in nearby Surbiton. 'Straight away he had a knack,' says Lebene, an accountant. After some parental pushing, the head coach at their local (oversubscribed) tennis club gave Joshua a trial. He aced it and got a place on its training programme, aged just five. 'That came as a shock,' Lebene admits. 'That he could have his own coach so young.' Tennis now plays a huge part in family life. Joshua is a pupil at Ewell Castle in Surrey (£5,700 a term), which has a tennis academy attached. He plays for the county and, in February, represented Great Britain during a junior Davis Cup-style event in Nottingham, where his dad wasn't allowed to watch — parents presumably being a fist-pumping distraction. He does 13 hours of tennis a week, mostly at school where 'he'll miss certain lessons, like art, but none of the essential ones', Lebene says. And he already has a team, including his club coach, school coach and a strength coach. 'He tore his calf muscle last year and was out for three months, so it's critical that he strengthens his body,' Lebene says. Or as Joshua sees it, 'I like tennis because it's fun, I get to play with my friends and it gives me energy.' Two or three weekends a month, his parents (mum Annabel works for a charity) drive him around the country to tournaments, although they flew to Scotland. For the past two summer holidays the family — including his older sister, who attends the Brit performing arts school — decamped to Barcelona's elite Emilio Sánchez Academy, where Andy Murray trained from the age of 15. 'He plays with the top kids in Britain a lot, so you're thinking, 'Who's the best player in Europe that he can hit with?' ' Lebene says. 'We don't come from a tennis background and we're learning as we go along. I didn't appreciate the amount of time, money and dedication that would be required.' Being from a 'tennis family' can certainly help. Judy Murray is a former junior player turned coach, as is Jack Draper's mother, Nicky, while his father, Roger, ran the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) from 2006 to 2013. Not to mention that most of the top British players are from middle-class backgrounds. It might be easier to start playing tennis these days, but high-quality coaching and the ability to travel, especially overseas, don't come cheap, and can make the difference to whether your child succeeds. It takes, Probert estimates, 'pretty much another full-time income to be one of the best. It's a never-ending bill for these parents. Realistically, they're spending at least £30,000 a year.' A quick shopping list: one-to-one lessons, three or four times a week, cost between £35 and £100. Group sessions are £10-£20 a go. Physio can be £50-£100. Quality rackets are about £100 and most kids have two. You might need white kit for a tournament one week, black the next. And consider the rapidity with which adolescents grow out of trainers, with different pairs required for grass, clay and hard courts. Then there's travel, hotels, food and tournament entry fees. Little wonder the LTA has estimated it costs £250,000 to develop a player from 5 until 18. Ironically, the more you spend, the more affordable it can become, as brands begin to notice budding talent. Joshua gets rackets and kit from Wilson. Sisters Lainee, 12, and Nolwaine Ngassam, 9, are sponsored by Head. The sisters are coached in Ashtead, Surrey, by their dad, Cedric. An enthusiastic amateur, he works in finance and introduced his eldest daughter to his favourite sport aged three. 'As soon as I could walk, I wanted to follow Daddy,' Lainee says. 'Then I wanted to follow as well,' Nolwaine adds. Comparisons to the Williams sisters are perhaps inevitable. Venus first picked up a racket aged four, with Serena keen to copy her sibling. Their gruelling 6am sessions — with their coach-dad, Richard — became as legendary as their rivalry. Nolwaine is often practising by 7am. She trains five times a week for up to two hours at a time — dedication that's made her under-nine girls' champion for Surrey and ranked in the Top 2 for her age. Having been spotted by scouts, Lainee has spent the past two years on the LTA Pathway, which helps to subsidise promising players. It means that she trains six times a week, usually after finishing her homework, plus strength and conditioning sessions — a must since she's recently shot up by several inches. Before joining the pathway, Lainee took a couple of months away from tennis to think about whether she wanted to commit. 'I missed it,' she says. 'It was good to have holidays and stop for a bit, but I was happy when I started again.' 'And now she doesn't want to stop any more,' her mum, Lembe, says. Theirs is a carefully constructed family schedule, planned four months in advance, so the girls, who often want to play in tournaments at opposite ends of the country, can do as much as possible. 'It's like a miniature professional timetable, which is the right thing to do because Lainee is already 12,' Lembe says. 'If you look at British players like Hannah [Klugman, 16] and Mika [Stojsavljevic, last year's US Open junior champion at 15], how old are they? She's not too far from them.' (Klugman and Stojsavljevic have been given wild cards to play in the main draw at Wimbledon this year.) They don't have plans to train abroad, as Lembe explains. 'Tennis is still a bit elitist. You can have talent, but if you're not supported financially, it's really difficult. Having their dad as their coach helps.' Being mini pros also means having a nutrition plan. 'We don't go crazy because they're still children,' Lembe says. 'But I remember going to a county cup and this dad walked in with chocolate doughnuts. Nolwaine was asking, 'I can't eat that?' And I said, 'If you want to perform well, you can't. Sorry.' ' The sisters are, Lainee says, 'very competitive, but only when we play each other'. 'Family can be supportive but sometimes I get stressed,' Nolwaine says. 'I put pressure on myself to win when they watch me.' 'I always tell my girls, I am not raising tennis players,' Lembe says. 'If we set the goal of them becoming professional we put added pressure on them, whereas if they're enjoying it, they will progress in the right direction.' • Why pampered top ten are wrong to demand more money from grand slams Except, here's the harsh truth: you have to be prepared to lose week in, week out. Winning is rare in a sport where only one person lifts the trophy. For every player who makes it, hundreds won't. And only a handful of the elite get anywhere near grand slam prize money — £2.7 million for last year's Wimbledon singles winners. 'To make a living, you need to be in the world's Top 100,' Probert says. 'There are a lot of players in the Top 250 who are struggling. When you're younger, the financial pressure is your parents'. But when you're paying your own bills and the only way to relieve the burden is to win, that's a lot of pressure.' Tennis First has handed out grants of up to £10,000 to about 350 juniors, but just 20 have made it into the Top 250. 'It isn't a huge number,' Probert concedes. 'But British tennis is in a strong position now, with great role models. More players are coming through.' One of those is Liv Zingg from Barnes in southwest London — although she's speaking to me from Nairobi, where she's just triumphed in an International Tennis Federation tournament. The 14-year-old, who started playing with friends, aged 5, in a Notting Hill park, has recently taken a big step on the path to going pro: leaving home. She and her mother, Nicole, a former figure skater and until recently Liv's fitness coach, first moved to Mallorca, where Liv had a scholarship at the Rafa Nadal Academy. Now they're at the Francesca Schiavone training facility in northern Italy, which her family is paying for with the help of Tennis First (academies can cost £40,000-£60,000 a year). Liv's days are carefully structured. 'I do three hours of tennis and three hours of fitness. On Wednesdays, a physio comes. And we always break from 12-2pm — the Italians like their lunch.' She is 'happy', but there are sacrifices that come with not living a regular teenage life — leaving friends behind, being home schooled, only seeing her dad and sister during holidays or if she has a tournament in the UK. 'I started doing trips at 12 and I had trouble with staying away from home. I was crying. I was kind of bullied at one stage too. But I've got used to it,' she says. In September she's going to join the acclaimed National Tennis Academy in Loughborough, with a fully funded package including schooling, meals, accommodation, travel and coaching. It will mean living by herself for the first time and sharing dorms with her peers (ie the competition). 'I'll be able to go home every weekend and it's only two hours away, so I think I'll be OK,' she says. Her commitment is, at least, paying off. Liv is ranked third in Europe for her age, plays for Britain and has been invited to take part in the prestigious under-14s tournament at Wimbledon during the championships. Oh, and she signed with talent agency IMG at the age of 12; that's 6 years earlier than Jack Draper. On Instagram she's known as 'Super Liv' and has 4,000 followers. One recent post read, 'You accept it. Cry it out if you need to, then force a smile. You move on. Be relentless. Adapt and grow. Work harder. Work smarter.' Although, Liv says, 'I've never posted anything myself; that's all my mum.' Her dream? 'To become world No 1 and hold the record for winning the most grand slams. That would be cool.' 'That ambition,' Probert says, 'combined with hard work, is what it takes to become the next Jack or Emma.' Which is why I don't bat an eyelid when Nolwaine says, softly but surely, 'I'd like to win Wimbledon.' Or when her sister turns to me and smiles. 'Me too.'
The Sun
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
From hunky Jack Draper to Emma Raducanu – the who-to-watch guide for Brit Wimbledon hotshots hoping to win big at SW19
TENNIS fans will hope Jack is nimble – and quick – as our latest Wimbledon hope takes to the court. World No4 Jack Draper, 23, whose looks have won him a Burberry modelling deal, has a serious shot at the title. On the ladies' side, former US Open champ Emma Raducanu, 22, hopes to go deep after a recent return to form. There are 23 Brits in the singles – 13 men and ten women – which is the most since 1984. Mike Ridley serves up a selection of them before the action starts at SW19 on Monday. Hannah Klugman, 16 - GB No17, world No577 STAR-in-the-making Hannah will feel right at home – as her family live in Wimbledon village in South West London, not far from the All England club. The youngest of four sisters, she excelled at all sports and only plumped for tennis after the Covid pandemic. 17 At 14, Hannah gave up going to school and did her GCSE studies online. Earlier this month, that decision already looked to have been a good one as she became a junior Grand Slam runner-up at the French Open. She was the first Briton to make the final in Paris since Michele Tyler in 1976 and experts are now marking her out for big things – and she already has experience of a grand stage. Sun tennis writer Rob Maul says: 'There are three British female teens in the draw [also Mika Stojsavljevic, 16, and Mimi Xu, 17]. She is already impressive, and she is part of the future for Wimbledon.' British world No719 qualifies for Wimbledon but is BANNED from claiming £66,000 prize money Katie Boulter, 28 - GB No2, world No41 LEICESTER CITY fan Katie Boulter has never got as far as the second week of a grand slam tournament – despite being Britain's No2. On her day, statuesque Katie can upset the form book but experts reckon she is perhaps a little too inconsistent to be among the game's elite. 17 She is engaged to Aussie world No11 Alex de Minaur after dating him for about three years. The couple have date nights during tournaments, which they post about on social media. Alex, 26, was born in Sydney then trained for years in Spain. But while Alex was unsure whether to play for Spain or Australia at the Olympics, before choosing the former, Katie was famously pictured in 2018 cheering on England's World Cup footballers. Katie, who has suffered many injuries over the years, including a stress fracture of the back, is very close to her grandparents who live in the East Midlands where she grew up. She also appreciates going out with a man who understands the pressures of the game. Emma Raducanu, 22 - GB No1, world No38 ONE of the most scrutinized female athletes in world sport and one of the most famous. As Britain's No1, the whole country will be rooting for her during the championships. 17 And amid rumour of a romance with Spanish world No2 Carlos Alcaraz – who at 22 has won five grand slams including two Wimbledons – he will surely be keeping an eye on her matches. Will former US Open winner Emma rediscover that old magic, on the back of promising recent results? Or will she be affected by news that the stalker who reduced her to tears in Dubai in February tried to get tickets for this year's Wimbledon, only to be red-flagged and denied. She will be grateful organisers had beefed up security but all eyes will be on her game. If she can overcome those worries and avoid injury, Emma could go a long way. Whatever happens, there will be plenty of drama. Jodie Burrage, 26 - GB No7, world No164 SHE missed Wimbledon last year through injury, so hopes her luck will change. But judging by a bizarre event that happened at the pre-Wimbledon tournament in Eastbourne this week, she might wonder. 17 17 BBC commentator Annabel Croft could not believe her eyes when Jodie's opponent in the last 16, reigning Wimbledon ladies champ Barbora Krejcikova, fired a shot through a hole in the net. Krejcikova generously conceded the point but the Czech ace went on to win the match. Surrey smasher Jodie is dating Scots rugby international Ben White, who plays scrum half for French club Toulon. At last month's French Open, Jodie said uncertainty over whether Ben, 27, would be picked for the British Lions squad to tour Australia this summer was affecting her form on the court. In the end, Ben was not selected – so expect to see him at Wimbledon cheering on Jodie. Jack Draper, 23 - GB No1, world No4 ONE of the most eligible men in tennis, young free and single Jack is a Burberry model with an equally fine-looking tennis game. Now at a career-high world No4, he is hotly tipped to win Wimbledon, if not this year then soon. 17 17 He would be the first English champ since Fred Perry in 1936 – and looks the heir apparent to Scots sensation Sir Andy Murray, who twice claimed the spoils at SW19 before retiring. After winning the Indian Wells tournament in California earlier this year, and making the semi-finals of the US Open in 2024, big-serving leftie Jack is the real deal at just 23. The Man United fan, who grew up in Ashtead, Surrey, and started out at Sutton Tennis and Squash Club, also stands out for his chiselled looks. He set hearts fluttering when pictured recently jumping topless from a boat with model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in an ad for Burberry swimwear. But he has no love match at the moment and is just pals with Rosie, and her Hollywood star other half Jason Statham. He says: 'I'm always on the road, always playing, always training. It's tough to sustain any relationship.' Having banked nearly £6million in prize money, and plenty more from endorsements and modelling work, he is dream boyfriend material for whoever should get so lucky. But for now, his No1 fan at Wimbledon will be mum Nicky, a former junior tennis starlet. His dad Roger, meanwhile, is an ex-boss of the Lawn Tennis Association, the sport's UK governing body, so was tasked with finding the country's next Wimbledon champ. Sun tennis correspondent Rob Maul says: 'Remarkably, he didn't have to look far!' Henry Searle, 19 - GB No119, world No409 THE teen wildcard from Wolverhampton may have a lowly world ranking – but he already has some serious form on the lawns of Wimbledon. It is only two years ago that 6ft 4in Henry became the first Brit to win the boys title, since football legend Stanley Matthews' son. 17 Since Stanley Matthews Jnr picked up the trophy in 1962, it has been won by a host of kids who went on to become tennis greats including Bjorn Borg and Ivan Lendl. The left-hander is the son of cricketer Harvey Trump, an off-spin bowler who played for Somerset between 1988 and 1997, and his first wife Emma. Henry has a huge following of fans and friends who join him at matches, wear identical T-shirts and making a lot of noise supporting his every shot. Sun man courtside Rob Maul says: 'Henry is quite a shy lad who doesn't say a lot but he has what it takes to be a real star of the future.' Jacob Fearnley, 23 - GB No2, world No51 HOTSHOT Jacob is drawing comparisons with a famous fellow Scot, two-time Wimbledon champ Sir Andy Murray, and recent results show the new pretender may just fit the bill. He has had a meteoric rise to No51 in the world rankings, from a lowly 664 at the start of the year, and it seems the only way is up. 17 17 The powerfully built big-hitter was born and brought up in Edinburgh where mum Sam, who worked for the NHS, taught him to play tennis from the age of three. But Jacob looks like an American – wears his baseball cap backward and speaks with slight Texan drawl. That's because he came through the US college ranks rather than a tennis academy. He spent five years at the Texas Christian University where fellow Brit Cameron Norrie also built his game, and it is where he met his stunning US girlfriend, beach volleyball star Keagan Polk. At the Australian Open earlier this year, she cheered him on to a win against Aussie bad boy Nick Kyrgios in the first round. She was also in Jacob's box at Wimbledon last year when he took a set off the greatest player of all time, Serb superstar Novak Djokovic. But he has his work cut out in his first match at Wimbledon – up against much-hyped Brazilian teen Joao Fonseca. Dan Evans, 35 - GB No5, world No170 LIKE seven-time Wimbledon champ Novak Djokovic, who comes into this year's tournament aged 38 and world-ranked six, our Dan is in the twilight of his career. Aged 35, he may not have too many more SW19 appearances in him, so catch him now. 17 17 The former Brit No1 has slipped to world No170 from a high of 21 just two years ago and only got into this year's draw with a wildcard – but a recent run of form suggests a thrilling last hurrah could just be possible. One of the most working-class players on the circuit, Brummie electrician's son Dan spent a year off the tour after testing positive for cocaine in 2017 but stormed back with a vengeance and is a reformed man. He did Team GB proud last year at the Paris Olympics as he made the doubles quarter-finals with Sir Andy Murray – in the former world No1's emotional farewell to the game. Dan is now is giving his all to his time left on court and delighting fans with his mischievous game of crafty spins. Based in Dubai nowadays, he will be cheered at Wimbledon by wife Aleah as he starts against fellow Brit Jay Clarke, 26, who is GB No7 and world No199. Dan and Aleah plan to have kids once he hangs up his racquet – and he has banked more than £6million in prize money alone so will have plenty of cash for family holidays. The single-handicap golfer will also have time for honing his swing, and following his beloved Aston Villa. OTHER HOME ACES TO SEE FROM talented teens to a most unlikely 11th-hour men's qualifier, here are some other British players to watch . . . 17 TIPPED for big things, Welsh wildcard Mingge 'Mimi' Xu is only 17 and already British No10. Born to Chinese parents who met at Swansea University, she is world No318 and has a big ask in round one . . . against Emma Raducanu. 17 HE is the world's 719th best player and No33 in Britain – but Oliver Tarvet, from St Albans, battled through qualifying this week into the main draw. If he wins his first match, against a fellow qualifier, Oliver, 21, could face reigning champ Carlos Alcaraz. WILDCARD Mika Stojsavljevic, 16, is a big server with a style like her childhood idol Maria Sharapova. Born in West London to a Serb dad and Polish mum, the 6ft belter made headlines in junior circles by winning last year's US Open girls' title.
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘You don't want to be left behind' – Raducanu buoyed for Wimbledon by Draper's rapid rise
Emma Raducanu believes that the recent success enjoyed by Jack Draper can only help her as the two old friends tackle Wimbledon, and all the pressure that comes with it, as Britain's No 1 players. Draper has taken over Andy Murray's mantle on the men's side of the game, having reached No 4 in the world rankings after a remarkable six months. Although Draper has never passed the second round at Wimbledon, he is capable of making his first deep run at the All England Club when the championships begin on Monday. The 23-year-old's burgeoning profile – he shot a Burberry campaign with the model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in between winning the Indian Wells title and reaching the French Open quarter-finals this month – has diverted some of the focus on Raducanu since her breakout summer of 2021, when a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon while ranked 338 in the world was followed by victory in the US Open. 'It is amazing,' Raducanu said of Draper's rise. 'I've known him for so long, so many years, and when we were juniors, we were both pretty promising, and now to kind of be British No 1 on both men and women's side and the real thing is, it's pretty cool. So this Wimbledon, I'm sure, for him, will feel different, but he's in a great place, and obviously with his seeding you know, hopefully it can help him.' Seeded fourth, Draper is in the other half of the draw from Jannik Sinner and can only face the reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals – but could play Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. Raducanu, meanwhile, is now ranked 38 as she attempts to establish herself at the top of the game chasing players such as the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, who knocked her out in the second round at Roland Garros and to manage the back problem she has had since just before the French Open. This year will mark the first Wimbledon without line judges, with the tournament adopting electronic line-calling. A total of 23 British players will compete in the men's and women's singles draw, including Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie – the most British main-draw entrants since 1984. Raducanu believes their friendly competition will push each other to greater heights. 'You see them win their match so you want to win your match, and it's that kind of healthy competition, because you don't want to be the one left behind, you know? And I think that's a good thing, and it's not coming from any bad place,' said Raducanu. Raducanu has spent much of the past four years trying to adjust to her status as a major champion and all the scrutiny that comes with it. Her difficulties have included several encounters with a stalker during her tournaments in Asia last year, with a tearful Raducanu hiding behind the umpire's chair after spotting the man during her match at the Dubai Open in February. The man, who has never been named publicly, signed a document agreeing to stay away from Raducanu. The All England Club subsequently removed the man from Wimbledon's ticket waiting list. In general, however, Raducanu appears to be in a better place. She has found herself gravitating towards people she knew before her breakthrough results, including her current coach, Mark Petchey. In the past, Raducanu did not trust the people around her enough to be completely open and vulnerable. 'It just felt like I couldn't speak out really, because I didn't want what I said to kind of be shared and spoken about and gossiped about, because you know how the Chinese whispers go. It's just exaggerated and things are twisted. So I just prefer to keep everything in and that is not necessarily the best thing because when you're on the court, you're kind of playing, holding a lot in rather than being expressive, and that's when I'm at my best,' said Raducanu. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Having been academically inclined in her youth, Raducanu recently found herself wanting to return to her studies. She has taken up a one-year art history course, a stark contrast to maths and economics, her chosen A-level subjects. In recent months, she has come to understand that she is a creative person and those qualities are key to her success on the court. 'It is something I've discovered recently,' she said. 'I think I was growing up very kind of boxed into a way of thinking that, like maths and logic and like ABC, and then as I kind of went through it over the last few years and figured out what I actually enjoy. I think when I play my best, I'm very free. I'm enjoying it, I don't have to be so serious and 'on' all the time, because sometimes on the court, if you're laughing, it can be seen as unserious. But actually for me, it's a better way, and I'm probably going to play better than if I'm just putting so much pressure on myself to be 'on' and perfect.' This year, Raducanu has made some positive progress, reestablishing herself inside the top 40 and putting herself in position to rise even further. Her susceptibility to injury, however, has continued to be a significant problem. After losing in the second round of Eastbourne on Wednesday, she also noted that she has been dealing with some undisclosed personal issues. Looking at the bigger picture, the goal is to simply ensure that she enjoys her time on and off the court. 'Sometimes I want to go into the future and think: 'Oh my God, am I going to regret not enjoying this moment?'' said Raducanu. 'I'm 22 now, so I'm kind of living for that person to not have any regrets to look back on.'
The Independent
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Jack Draper faces added pressure as home favourite at Wimbledon
BBC presenter Clare Balding warned it will be harder for Jack Draper to win Wimbledon than for his rivals as he copes with the pressure of playing in front of a home crowd. The 23-year-old will be seeded fourth when play begins next week as he looks to build on victory at Indian Wells in March, his first ATP Masters 1000 title, as well as his first Grand Slam semi-final at last year's US Open. Draper was drawn to face Argentine Sebastian Baez in the first round and faces a potentially tough route through the tournament which could see him go up against each of Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. But though the world's top two Alcaraz and Sinner have split the past six Grand Slams between them, Draper has already tasted victory over both. 'I do think Jack Draper is capable of winning Grand Slam titles,' said Balding, who was speaking at an event in London to mark one year of Barclays' Free Park Tennis scheme, which provides facilities and coaching with the aim of removing barriers between children and grassroots sport. 'But I think it's harder for a British player to win Wimbledon than any of the other Grand Slams because of the added pressure of it being your home tournament. 'The attention and the distraction of all the media you have to do. For all the benefits of the support of the crowd you've also got that added element of how much you want it. 'It's why Andy Murray's even more remarkable. Dealing with that desire and how it affects your brain and how your brain then affects your body, it's a big psychological challenge.' Balding points to Murray's career as an indicator of why initiatives like Free Park Tennis are key in widening the pool of potential tennis stars. Traditionally, lack of access to facilities and equipment due to costs have acted as a barrier within some communities and demographics. The hope is that by opening up those facilities and putting them within easy reach, those barriers will fall away. Since its inception last year the initiative has engaged 35,000 children by offering free coaching and equipment on around a hundred courts nationwide. '(Murray's) is not a story of coming from a privileged background,' said Balding. 'It's a story of access, because his mum was a tennis coach, so there's the key. 'Andy and Jamie Murray would have played another sport. If their parents had been involved in a golf club they'd have taken up golf. They had access (to tennis) but through a very specific route. 'There are going to be over a hundred courts open, available and free to use. Thousands of kids have already done it and I hope more and more will. 'We know all the research into kids being outside, kids being fitter, healthier, all of those things. But I think the key with tennis is the focus that's required, the real concentration. That's a huge benefit to children.'
