Jack Draper getting ‘conditioned to competing’ as Andy Murray link-up develops
By Edward Elliot, Press Association Sport
Jack Draper overcame a stomach bug and scorching temperatures to defeat close friend Jack Pinnington Jones at the Lexus Eastbourne Open.
Amid a weather warning due to extreme heat, Draper booked a place in the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon warm-up event with a 7-5 6-4 win over his fellow Briton.
Victory in an hour and a half maintained his encouraging start under new coach Andy Murray as he continues his comeback from the persistent arm issue and a chronic knee problem.
The former world number four wore a protective sleeve on his left arm on Wednesday but insisted it was not related to fitness.
“I’ve always worn a sleeve for sweat because otherwise I sweat very heavily and the grip gets destroyed very quickly,” said Draper, who was playing only his second match in more than two months.
“It wasn’t to do with my arm injury. I had a bit of a stomach ache, stomach bug today, so I was struggling a little bit with that.
“But, apart from that, playing these matches again, when you test yourself, when you come through tough sets in tough conditions it gets easier as it goes along.
“You get more and more conditioned to competing. It’s obviously very different to the practice court so I think every match I’ll keep get better and better on that front.”
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Temperatures had dropped slightly to around 30 degrees when Draper eventually walked out on court in late afternoon.
With two-time Wimbledon winner Murray again watching from the sidelines, he broke Pinnington Jones in game three and then closed out the opening set with successive aces after dropping serve during a temporary wobble in game 10.
The 2024 US Open semi-finalist won the opening two games of set two and then wrapped up victory relatively comfortably to progress to a last eight-meeting with Canada’s Gabriel Diallo on Thursday.
Mentor Murray was cheered by the Devonshire Park crowd when he arrived and offered vocal support throughout.
“When he walked on court, people obviously noticed and a bit of noise for him – I’m not sure if he likes that too much,” Draper said of Murray.
“But that’s what comes with it. Andy’s a legend so everyone loves seeing him.”
Draper, who enjoyed a straight-sets success over American Marcos Giron in his comeback match on Monday, continued: “It’s really good to have that support from Andy.
“He absolutely loves being back in tennis again. It’s his passion, competing and that overall buzz of a tennis environment.
“I think Andy’s the ultimate competitor in that way and the more I’m around him, the more I see he’s really enjoying being back around tennis, which is really nice for me and also him.
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“It’s very nice to have him calling me on.”
In the first all-British showdown on Centre Court, Jan Choinski defeated Wimbledon wildcard Felix Gill 6-4 6-7 (4) 6-2.
Earlier, British number five Toby Samuel registered his first ATP Tour victory by beating Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante.
The 23-year-old, who is poised to make his Wimbledon debut next week, won 6-1 7-6 (7) and will take on world number 21 Francisco Cerundolo in the quarter-finals.
Argentinian eighth seed Cerundolo defeated British number three Arthur Fery 6-2 7-6 (2)