The Japan Times - Draper ready to fill Murray's shoes as Britain's Wimbledon hope

Murray ended the 77-year wait for a British winner of the Wimbledon men's singles title when he beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final.

The Scot won Wimbledon again three years later during an iconic career that included three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and a spell as world number one.

Murray retired following the 2024 Paris Olympics, but British world number four Draper has already emerged as a worthy successor to the 38-year-old.

Now Draper knows he has to prove he can handle the expectations of the British sporting public at his home Grand Slam.

"Yeah, for sure. I think obviously when Andy retired, they said I was the next in line for that," Draper told reporters at the All England Club on Saturday.

"Obviously Andy has done an unbelievable job. He's been incredibly successful and has become adored by the nation. It's obviously big shoes to fill. I'm aware of that.

"At the same time I'm confident in myself that hopefully I can inspire people like Andy has done.

"I'll keep trying to show my best tennis out there, to hopefully present myself as the player and the person I want to be."

Murray has been a useful resource for Draper since the 23-year-old burst onto the scene with a run to the US Open last 16 in 2023.

And Draper won't be shy about asking Murray for advice on how to deal with the Wimbledon spotlight.

- Mentor Murray -

"Obviously Andy has given me an amazing amount of feedback and advice over the years. I think one of the biggest things is everyone is on their different journey," Draper said.

"I know Andy's right there for me if I need him any time. There may come a point where I ask him a few things, and I'm sure he'll come back and be extremely helpful and supportive, as always."

Draper, who start his Wimbledon campaign against Argentina's Sebastian Baez on Tuesday, has never been past the second round in his three Wimbledon appearances.

This year's draw poses a host of threats to the Londoner's dreams of emulating Murray's Wimbledon success.

Draper is scheduled to face former Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic in the second round and Alexander Bublik, who beat him in the recent French Open, in the third round.

The draw seeds Draper to meet seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic in the last eight, world number Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

"I haven't looked at that at all. I look at my first round. I respect every person in the draw," he said.

"Obviously you guys have asked me a lot about the pressure and all that sort of stuff. I'm not thinking about that at all."

Draper's victory at Indian Wells in March was his first ATP Masters 1000 title, building on his maiden Grand Slam semi-final appearance at last year's US Open.

After a rocky spell when he struggled to adapt to the gruelling demands of the ATP Tour, Draper now feels comfortable on and off the court.

"I think maturity, taking responsibility for my actions. When I was younger, it's tough. My friends went to university. I suppose they had an extended period of their childhood or their time to have fun," he said.

"Sometimes you want to just take a break, but you can't in a sport like tennis. I would say that's the most challenging thing about being on the tour.

"For me it was a process and was definitely something I really struggled with at first. I suppose just growing up."

T.Shimizu--JT