Former British No 1 Johanna Konta can see the reasons why we’re all excited about the future of Jack Draper following his superb US Open campaign, while praising the performances from the British contingent this year.
Draper made the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, but in the end Andrey Rublev’s big match experience told with a four-set win on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old slipped from a ranking of 38, in January, to outside the top 100, but his performances this week will hopefully point to an upward curve in such a promising career hindered by fitness issues.
“I was really pleased with Jack’s performances mainly because of the year he’s had with injuries and he’s struggled in the fact he’s been unable to play as much as he would have wanted, but then come in to the last Slam of the year and make it to the fourth round and to do it on the back of not much tennis, I’m really pleased for him,” Konta told Sky Sports.
“It does just show the glimpses of just why we’re excited about him as a player back home. He’s a lefty with a big serve, big forehand. He’s an exciting prospect and hopefully he can get his body together and find the right formula for himself to be able to start competing more and more.”
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Tim Henman and Marion Bartoli discuss Rublev’s win over Draper and agree that the British player can improve his aggressiveness on returns
Draper has a big game
The left-hander arrived in New York unsure if he could compete after suffering a small tear in his shoulder that forced him out of the Winston-Salem tune-up event but in the end he was the last Briton standing.
“It was not surprising in the level of tennis that he can play,” said Konta, a former US Open quarter-finalist.
“I think it was the challenges that he was coming in with that surprised most people, but it is exciting just to see what he is capable of and I think obviously so much more than this even. We’re just pulling for him now and build up some robustness in his physicality and his body to be able to play a full season.
“He is one of the younger guys on tour and for now lesser known but he’s showing lots of promise. Making the fourth round here only adds to interest in him but he’s obviously very talented and he’s got a big game. There’s lots to get excited about when you look at him as a tennis player.”
Positive Slam for the Brits
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Tim Henman looks at how Boulter has improved her game following her first-round win at the US Open
Konta also felt this year’s US Open tournament turned out to be a positive one from a British perspective with seven players making it through to the second round.
Andy Murray, Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Draper and Jodie Burrage all progressed.
The last time so many Britons progressed at the US Open was all the way back in 1977, when Virginia Wade reached the quarter-finals.
Konta said: “I was really pleased for Katie Boulter making it through to the third round. I was thinking it would be great for her to have a deep week one run here on the back of her summer back home on the grass and also making her second third round at Wimbledon. I think it was nice for her to experience that at another Slam.
“It was also great to see Jodie Burrage into a main draw off her own ranking and winning a round again. It was another positive step for her and then it was great to see Lily Miyazaki qualify for the main draw and she was rewarded with a round-one win.”
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Watch as current British men’s No 1 Norrie gives Sky Sport’s Emma Paton his ultimate tennis masterclass
British No 1 Norrie arrived in New York with a lack of form behind him, while Evans secured the biggest win of his career in Washington in the lead-up to the US Open.
“Cam may not have been pleased to lose in the third round but it was still great to see him change his fortune around in terms of coming into this tournament here,” felt Konta. “He hadn’t won a match on the American hard-courts but he overcame that to win a couple of matches here.
“Evans said at the beginning of the tournament that he wanted that third-round clash with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and he held true on that desire,” she said. “He gave a great showing against Alcaraz, winning a set off him.”
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Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli believes Murray can still put together a deep run at a Grand Slam
Murray came into the final Grand Slam of the year with questions over his fitness after he suffered an abdominal injury in Toronto before also withdrawing from Cincinnati.
Konta felt that the former world No 1 will be “not so pleased” with a second-round exit to a red-hot Grigor Dimitrov, but the Bulgarian played “unbelievable” to win in straight sets.
“He really prepared for Murray and he executed it well,” she admitted.
The US Open on Sky Sports
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Watch the US Open live and exclusive on Sky Sports up until September 10. All courts will be available to watch for the first time
Sky welcomes tennis back to its channels, adding to the existing sports portfolio and reaffirming the broadcaster as the home of live sport in the UK & Ireland.
Sky Sports’ new mixed reality studio features multiple custom built LED screens, integrated light ‘sabres’, and an open canopy roof, making the space alive with colour and energy to reflect the vibrancy of the last Grand Slam of the year.
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Relive Andy Murray’s rollercoaster career at the US Open, which saw him claim his maiden major title in 2012
With integrated AR capabilities, a versatile LED floor, and a ‘fourth wall’, the viewer will be transported to the Arthur Ashe Stadium in a 360-degree immersive environment. Our tennis experts will take the viewer into the eyes of the players for expert Hawkeye analysis and insight as the tournament progresses.
The technology involved allows us to add an entire new dimension and will bring customers closer to the action.
Highlights of matches will be available across Sky Sports TV and our social media platforms.
Video highlights will also be available of the Sky Sports website and app, where there will also be a daily live text commentary on the Sky Sports website and app, as well as live scores, reports, analysis and features.
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