Annabel Croft, like most others, couldn’t help but wax lyrical about Jack Draper following the biggest win in his young career.
Having bypassed Mariano Navone in the first round of Queen’s, the Great British tennis star was faced with Carlos Alcaraz in the second, a reward for his fine form on the grass.
After winning his maiden ATP title in Stuttgart just a week earlier, there was quiet confidence that the big-serving Brit might cause the world number two problems, but few expected the performance that was to come.
Facing just a single break point all match, the 22-year-old was emphatic as he won the first set in a composed tiebreak and the second 6-4.
Whilst his serving was immaculate, all facets of his games came together to fell the reigning champion.
Annabel Croft praises Jack Draper’s Queen’s performance
It takes something really special to beat a player like Alcaraz, so there are no real flukes at this elite level.
However, his performance was far from fortuitous, and across the two sets, he was easily the better player.
It should give him great confidence going into Wimbledon, and has seemingly sparked mass praise from numerous pundits.
Croft was one such example, who lauded what Draper did from the word go on BBC Sport: ‘I think what was so impressive was his composure out there. He walked out onto the court and was incredibly focused from point number one. He really took his game and his weapons up to his opponent today.
‘Sometimes when you see young players up against a great like Alcaraz, a three-time grand slam champion and the reigning Wimbledon champion. But Jack was very much playing within himself during the match and causing so much stress down the other end of the court, it was a very below-par [display] but I think that was forced by the pressure Jack was putting on him.
‘He has weapons, not only that big serve, the big forehand but the backhand has improved enormously and that’s kind of what won him that tiebreak and got him the break of serve in the second set. I think it’s a life-changing match.’
Where does Carlos Alcaraz go from here?
After beating Francisco Cerundolo in the first round, Alcaraz was lauded for his proficiency on the grass.
The interviewer questioned whether he even had more to learn despite his youth, and his answer was magnanimous: ‘It doesn’t matter which tournament I’m playing or everything I have achieved, I’m still learning.
‘I have to get better every day and every time I step onto a grass court I have to learn to play better.’
Well, he was certainly taught a lesson by Draper, who used the surface to his advantage with rapid groundstrokes and a serve that few could contend with.
With Wimbledon in just ten days, he likely remains the outstanding favourite to retain his title despite failing to do so at Queen’s.
But, should he fail to learn from this experience, there is a whole host of players who could cause him similar issues and thwart his efforts to achieve that feat.
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