By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, March 13, 2025
Picture credit score: Tony Chang/Chang Images
Southwest London is the middle of the sporting universe for 2 weeks every summer season.
Whereas Wimbledon is essentially 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 mentioned tennis is extra beloved by different European nations.
“I feel England, we clearly have Wimbledon. That is, you recognize, one of many largest sporting occasions on the planet,” Draper mentioned. “I would say for 3 weeks of the yr we’re massively into tennis. I feel now we have been extraordinarily lucky clearly to have Andy Murray and different gamers who’ve actually, you recognize, proven me the best way and impressed me to be a high participant in myself.
“I would say our precise tradition for tennis is not enormous within the UK.”
Final September, Draper turned the fourth British man in Open Period historical past to succeed in the US Open semifinals.
The 23-year-old Draper mentioned he hopes his era of rising British gamers, together with former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, may also help develop the sport at dwelling.
“Clearly different tennis nations, you recognize, I feel have it higher with Italy and Spain and France,” Draper mentioned. “They love tennis much more than we do as a nation, however I feel, you recognize, hopefully with what’s to come back with the grass and hopefully gamers like myself and Emma and different high gamers coming by that we will actually placed on present and encourage lots of people to play.”
