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Jack Draper is ready to step up and represent his country at the Davis Cup.
Britain’s Davis Cup captain believes Andy Murray’s legacy is evident going into this week’s group stage tie.
With Murray now retired, Jack Draper has stepped up to lead his nation. And Leon Smith is preparing for the world No. 20 to join the squad fresh off the back of his US Open semi-final run.
As the top-ranked Brit, Draper will effectively spearhead the team and be called up for the most important singles matches. It’s a role Murray occupied within the squad for most of his career. Even when he dropped down the rankings, he would join his teammates for their matches and cheer them on from the bench.
And GB captain Leon Smith says the three-time Grand Slam champion’s legacy lives on in the current players. “Obviously we miss Andy being around, just in general. He was a bedrock of the team for the last couple of decades, even put his heart and soul into one of the rubbers here last year against Switzerland,” the 48-year-old said on Tuesday.
“You could still see how much it meant to him then. But he’s not forgotten is he? He’s left a massive imprint and legacy on definitely me but also all the guys that are sitting here.”
It already means a lot to Draper, who arrived in Manchester on Tuesday afternoon just four days after he lost to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in New York. Their semi-final battle was a gruelling physical battle which saw the Brit throw up multiple times on the court.
But he still refused to skip the Davis Cup and made the trip up north just one day after landing back home in the UK. And Smith is delighted to see the 22-year-old prioritise the team competition.
He added: “We are absolutely thrilled that he’s coming. You can tell straight away that he gets Davis Cup. He plays with passion, pride, fight, and you mix that with the fact he’s a top-20 player with unbelievable quality, he’s going to be a very important member of the team not just this week but for many, many, many years to come.”
While Draper is keen to get stuck in at the Davis Cup, he may not be called up for their first tie against Finland on Wednesday given the quick turnaround from the US Open. “He is really excited to come here but we have to get him on the practice court, see how he’s doing, assess him,” the captain continued.
“Ultimately I’ll make the call on that. I have to select the team to do what is best, not just for tomorrow, but also we have really important matches at the weekend as well. We just have to weigh up risk versus reward a little bit.”
Smith could instead call up Davis Cup veteran Dan Evans and debutant Billy Harris for the singles matches against Finland on Wednesday. Britain will also face Argentina on Friday and Canada on Sunday. Both countries boast strong singles players, and Draper may be rested for those rubbers instead.
“If he’s not [ready for Wednesday], I’ve got every faith in those sitting beside me now,” the Glaswegian added, speaking alongside the rest of the squad before Draper’s arrival.
