"I'm sure he's asked Andy question after question" 🌟 | Henman and Robson preview Jack Draper QF!

[Music] Lexis presents tennis on Sky Sports right there is only one place to start and that is with Jack Draper and his first quarterfinal in a grand slam and who better to have alongside me Laura Robson and Tim Henman to find out a bit more about ja about Jack Draper laori you know him very well let's just go a little bit on the personality side before we get into the tennis and just find out a bit more about him as a character oh he's lovely he's such a nice boy um you know always comes up and gives you a heart and and you know ask about your family and I I don't know anyone who's got a bad thing to say about him but yeah he's he's a bit cheeky um we have quite a lot of banter between all the British players and he's not afraid to dish out some abuse when needed um no I I just think everyone gets along with him he's such a hard worker and everyone wants the best for Yeah Tim the right kind of temperament then from the sounds of that for a tennis player that's that's trying to win a grand slam trying to get further into the second week of a grand slam yeah most definitely I I think then when you come to the professional side he's unbelievably hardworking he's completely committed to every aspect of the sport and I think he has a you know a real passion for the game he uh you know he knows um everything about what's going on with the other players and he's he's obviously you know followed at someone like Andy Murray growing up and and now um with Murray retired I think it's a great opportunity for him to be you know certainly leading the the the men's he watches YouTube clips as well from matches from like the '90s and early 2000 thousand he's just an absolute tennis nerd and I love that about him yeah he's like he can tell you what point won you know Andy's first women and what shot he hit and you know what what time of the match that he broke serve and all these Niche little um and I think that's great because then uh it's it's never your job it's always your hobby it's your passion and and that's where when you've got to put in the long hours you know in the in the gym or on the track or you know traveling away from home you're prepared to make those sacrifices because um you want be the very best version of yourself you think he's watched your 1996 first quarterfinal in a grand slammer Wimbledon I reckon he has that was in black and white I think you'd have to ask him that I hope not but in terms of experience what do you remember about that being the first time you'd got to that part that second week of a grand slam does make a big difference yeah I mean it was a steep learning curve I was probably ranked UH 60 or 70 at the time and and uh you know had only ever won one match at Wimbledon so to get through to the quarters was um you know was massively exciting and and and I absolutely loved it I had to play Todd Martin who was um you know a much better player than me but uh um yeah you just it adds to your belief you know once you through to the quarters you think next time I'll get there I have a little bit more experience and you obviously you know want to get through to the semis and that's where you know Jack I think has done such a good job because uh you know this is New Territory and hopefully he can keep the same attitude Yeah Tim just mentioned belief there and in a few interviews recently Jack has talked a bit more about the fact that he thought about not continuing with his tennis career a little bit when he had all of the injuries and everything was going in the opposite direction or he' play well and then he would have to stop again because something else happened how much do you think that belief is back now that that is all behind him I almost don't believe that he ever thought about stopping I mean he just loves it so much and he loves to compete that yeah I I feel like that would have been a split second thought and then all of a sudden he puts the tennis on the TV and he's right back in it and and so I feel like the belief in his game is just come on Leaps and Bounds but that comes because he can trust his body these days he's not not injured anywhere near as much yes he might pick up a few niggles here and there and you know he definitely won't feel 100% every day but he's just learned how to deal with the you know the rigers basically of being on tour and and the intensity of it and he's adapted really well you mentioned the rigers on tour and earlier you were talking about the banter and how the British players get on really well how much do you think it has helped a young Jack Draper now 22 but on his way up having Andy Murray around having Dan Evans cam Nory and the and the women players as well but just having that cool group that were traveling and maybe giving him a bit of advice which he might not need so much of now and he's not afraid to ask for it and you I like that about him that he's always curious about what other people have been up to I'm sure he's asked Andy question after question and and I always remember that clip coming back from Davis Cup so I can only imagine the conversations that happened in that car um but yeah even with with Dan and and Cam he's always asking them what they've been up to and you know what work for them against certain players what tactics and as he's getting older and being on the tour more often then you learn your own sort of niches and I'm sure younger players will start asking him stuff um but yeah I I just think he's got a great Rel relationship with just about everyone in British tennis but also he's had the same coach for so long that um he's always got someone that he can trust off the court as well knowing that James trotman's in his corner and he can he can even ask him I was going to say he come to you for advice he has done I had a long chat with him actually after uh the Australian Open in sort of early February when he had had that you know issue with with the cramping and he was sort of vomiting on court just when it finished that match and and you know so much of that was I think about sort of the anxiety and emotional management of playing five set matches and you know when you haven't played best of five and you know you get deep in the fourth set and you're thinking wow I've you know not got much left in the tank um it's a physical battle but it's a mental battle and I think um you know it's great that he's had people around him that he can seek advice from but also in the environment there there's healthy competition and I think that's so important that there are other British players who are on tour having good results whether it's uh um in the men's game the women's game or the doubles players and and there's just a really good you know positive vibe that you can um you know Thrive with well he's learned very quickly considering that was this year that that he was being sick on court and they had those nerves and he did say that he struggled with five set matches whereas we potentially could have a five set match again against Alex deor a very physical player that you don't imagine Draper going to have huge issues with in terms of his body and getting through a match no I don't think he I don't think he will now and and we've I think he's been fortunate as well we haven't really had had a couple of really hot days but it's been a lot cooler but I think again he's got um sort of more understanding of the the es and flows of five set matches you know there there are plenty of times I can remember playing you know best of five in the second set you're thinking wow I'm I'm cooked and and you get a second wind and then you start to feel a lot better and then you fatigue a little bit and it's just having that understanding that you're not going to feel you know perfectly the whole time through five sets but just being able to you know work your way through it keep your concentration and and um you know it's it's a big challenge against Deon or he is a lot more experienced he's a much higher ranked player um so hopefully Jack can go into that match with a lot of freedom and and um you know go for it and you both know what the pressures are like at Wimbledon how much might it help him to be having this run his best run out of grand slam not there but actually here the US Open where it's a bit of a different atmosphere I don't think he'll read too much into that I'm sure he would want it to be at Wimbledon as well because he' have the home crowd and these courts just favor him so much and they're they're sort of medium fast they're quite Lively especially when you play in the day he's just picking up so many free points off his ser and first ball after that um yeah I I don't know that that's even crossed his mind to be honest and before You' mentioned I hadn't thought about it because I think you take a quarterfinal wherever it comes at you and it doesn't really matter where yeah no I just worry about the pressure that that sometimes are on players when they're at home we've got that with the Americans here at the US Open but but for British players obviously it's like that when you're when you're playing at Wimbledon the potential for coming through this match and then having a blockbuster of a a semifinal is I know something that we can talk about maybe he as lores just said he doesn't really think you know no player will be thinking that far ahead he'll want to just get through this first one but potentially the world number one yanx who was a good friend of his or you've got Danel M former Champion we we would OB love to see that because it would mean that Jack's got through the deor hurdle which is uh you know one of the biggest matches probably of Jack's life to be in the court of Islam for the first time playing a top 10 player um but I think um you know deor is is someone that Jacks will know his game and obviously the the team will have have done their work and and uh you know deor has played Evans here he's played Evans quite a few times so um they played in Davis Cup Leon Smith's been here so um I'm sure they would have done their analysis and and I think what's important is Jack really goes out there um with the game plan of the way he wants to play the way that he can you know really Implement his game ST because Dior is not going to beat himself Jack's got to go out there and and really take it to him and and have the belief um and hopefully the execution to get the job done well let just have a quick word on the other quarterfinal the potential opponent for Jack Draper or Alex De or who whoever ends up winning uh that is a big match isn't it medev versus C it's one that's just brilliant for tennis fans it's going to be it's going to be interesting I mean there's such a contrast in their game Styles at the moment where Yanik is absolutely cracking the ball against Tommy Paul the hitting and the sound of the ball is just so sweet and you know for Tommy Paul to go into his press conference and say actually yanuk is the best hitter from the back of the Court over alcaraz um to know that that's what the other players are saying about you I mean he's got to have so much belief in his game meanwhile medev for me is still struggling a little bit on his serve over the last few months it seems be going a bit haywi he struggling uh with some double faults but he outworks a lot of people from the Baseline so yeah it's going to be a challenge for both of them I'm not really sure how who I'd go with entertainment wise they're such brilliant characters as well as such opposite characters that it makes it really entertaining doesn't it yeah definitely I mean uh you know C was uh very much on the radar at the beginning of this tournament for the wrong reasons with the the positive drugs test whereas you know medv I think has very much been under the radar he has won this tournament in the past he's been in the finals so uh these are circum these are circumstances and environment that he knows well um yeah for me it's that ball striking capabilities of cner I think that will give him the edge um mdev is such a good Defender but he does like to sort of play further and further behind the Baseline that kind of opened up the angles for for cner but uh um you know that both players are going to give night it's aight I think that changes things again because C wanted to play during the day but also then I think that you know with sin's ball striking he hits the ball much harder than than meddev and therefore if it's slower then meddev shots probably are less effective but uh you know the these these players they know they've got to make the adjustments it's the same for both of them but uh um I think if I had to choose one I I think sinner will come through it is absolutely fascinating that one intriguing contest coming up between meev and C as well in the quarterfinal