“He’s been so well established in the British tennis system for so long now, he’s kind of been the one holding us all up,” said Boulter of Murray. “He’s been there the whole entire time, and I don’t take that for granted. I think everything that he’s done for us is incredible.
“I was there [at the National Tennis Centre in south-west London] since I was 13 years old, so I saw him quite a bit,” added Boulter, who is now working with Murray’s former fitness trainer Matt Little.
“I was obviously too scared to go up to him and speak to him like a little 14-year-old girl would be. But I think just even being in the same atmosphere as him, you feel his presence, you feel he’s in there. You see what he’s doing, you see how he’s working. I think that showed me a lot about how to work, and I think that’s really important.”
As Murray leaves the stage, having participated in 60 major tournaments over a 20-year period, the 22-year-old Draper is the man most likely to take up his mantle. A left-hander with a booming serve and an assiduous work ethic, Draper beat defending champion Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s and won his first ATP Tour title earlier this summer.
“I do miss his presence a lot,” said Draper. “I grew up thinking Andy would be the most professional guy on the planet. And he is. He’s mad about getting everything perfect, watching video slow-mos of his serve and all this sort of stuff.
“When you’re in the locker room before matches, and you’ve got someone as great as Andy sat next to you, it’s mad to be sitting next to one of your idols from a young age,” added Draper, who also made humorous mention of Murray’s messy habits and “rancid, stinking shoes”.
“Not to have him here anymore is obviously difficult,” concluded Draper, who will play China’s Zhang Zhizhen on Tuesday in a challenging first-round match. “Maybe one day he’ll be more around on the coaching scene, doing his thing, but, yeah, I definitely miss the camaraderie and the nonsense chat, and the banter, and the serious chats, as well, that he used to bring.”
Prince Harry seemed "happy" and appeared to be "enjoying his life" in LA during his latest appearance at a charity tennis tournament last weekend, a body langua
A former coach at Sligo Tennis Club has been jailed for multiple child sex offences in the UK. Se
Tennis is one of the top sports on most betting sites thanks to its popularity, frequency and gambling versatility.It’s a sport that’s played nearly all yea
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Kentucky women’s tennis opened the 2024 fall tournament schedule at the Annual Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic over the weeke