By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, March 13, 2025
Photograph credit score: Tony Chang/Chang Pictures
Southwest London is the middle of the sporting universe for 2 weeks every summer season.
Whereas Wimbledon is probably the most prestigious tennis match on the planet, a number of European nations outshine Nice Britain’s tennis tradition, says British No. 1 Jack Draper.
Chatting with the media in Indian Wells after his 7-5 6-4 win over 2022 BNP Paribas Open champion Taylor Fritz, Draper stated tennis is extra beloved by different European nations.
“I feel England, we clearly have Wimbledon. That is, you already know, one of many greatest sporting occasions on the planet,” Draper stated. “I would say for 3 weeks of the yr we’re massively into tennis. I feel we now have been extraordinarily lucky clearly to have Andy Murray and different gamers who’ve actually, you already know, proven me the way in which and impressed me to be a high participant in myself.
“I would say our precise tradition for tennis is not big within the UK.”
Final September, Draper turned the fourth British man in Open Period historical past to achieve the US Open semifinals.
The 23-year-old Draper stated he hopes his technology of rising British gamers, together with former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, may help develop the sport at dwelling.
“Clearly different tennis nations, you already know, I feel have it higher with Italy and Spain and France,” Draper stated. “They love tennis much more than we do as a nation, however I feel, you already know, hopefully with what’s to return with the grass and hopefully gamers like myself and Emma and different high gamers coming by that we are able to actually placed on a very good present and encourage lots of people to play.”
