The British tennis player, who qualified for the quarterfinals of the US Open, spoke about his legendary countryman.
Jack Draper became the first British player to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open since Andy Murray in 2016. The 22-year-old reached his first quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows with an impeccable run, without losing a single set.
The British player beat Czech Tomas Machac in the 4th round – who was also in great form – with a score of 6-3 6-1 6-2. At the end of his eighth-final, the current number 25 in the ATP ranking expressed his satisfaction with the result obtained, then spending some nice words for a legend like Murray. The British player indicated his 3-time Slam champion countryman as a source of inspiration.
“Obviously I miss Andy a lot, he’s an icon of the sport. I miss him in the locker room the most, I miss being around his smelly shoes and his smelly clothes. If I could achieve even half of what he achieved in his career, then I’d be a happy man. He’s a legend,” said the Briton, who will face Australian Alex De Minaur in the quarter-finals.
Awwww good to see @andy_murray with a big smile on his face! pic.twitter.com/aOh9Lo4GV1
— Zainab Walji (@xenon21) August 28, 2024
The English tennis player then analyzed his performance against Machac: “I thought the last few times we’ve played it’s been a very tough battle. Today I thought I played at a decent level, he was maybe a little bit off form, but I had to stay strong in the points and it was great to play here on the Louis Armstrong.
Last year I lost here in the same round, so it’s nice to come back and do better this year. I just have to keep going. I’ve got great people around me and I love playing here in New York. I love playing on the big stage.”
"I miss him in the changing rooms. I miss being next to his stinky shoes and all of his stinky clothes." 😭@jackdraper0 🤝 @andy_murray pic.twitter.com/5m82NCoyHl
— LTA (@the_LTA) September 3, 2024
