Britain’s top two ranked players – Katie Boulter and Jack Draper – have praised Andy Murray’s contribution to tennis in comments that contrast strikingly with Emma Raducanu’s much cooler reaction on Friday afternoon.
Raducanu had raised eyebrows on Friday by suggesting that Murray’s career is “old news”, adding that “it doesn’t feel any different at all [now that he has retired].”
Reactions to Raducanu’s comments were mixed. Some observers pointed out that they were factually correct – the game does indeed stop for no one – while others speculated that her apparent coldness toward Murray could be related to the summer’s controversy over her last-minute withdrawal from their scheduled mixed doubles match at Wimbledon.
Anyway, Boulter responded to a similar question about Murray’s impact in a very different tone on Saturday.
“He’s been so well established in the British tennis system for so long, he’s really the one that keeps us all going,” Boulter said of Murray. “He’s been there the whole time, and I don’t take that for granted. I think everything he’s done for us is incredible.
“I was there [at the National Tennis Centre in south-west London] “I’ve been around since I was 13 so I saw him quite a bit,” added Boulter, who now works with Murray’s former fitness trainer Matt Little.
“I was obviously too scared to go up to him and talk to him like a 14-year-old girl would. But I think even if you’re in the same atmosphere as him, you feel his presence, you feel that he’s there. You see what he does, you see how he works. I think that taught me a lot about how to work, and I think that’s really important.”
As Murray steps away from the podium after playing in 60 major tournaments over a 20-year period, the man most likely to take up his mantle is 22-year-old Draper. A left-hander with a booming serve and an industrious work ethic, Draper defeated reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s to win his first ATP Tour title earlier this summer.
“I miss him so much,” Draper said. “I grew up thinking Andy was the most professional guy on the planet. And he is. He’s crazy about getting everything perfect, watching video slow-mos of his serve and all that stuff.
“When you’re in the dressing room before a game and there’s someone as great as Andy sitting next to you, it’s crazy to be sitting next to one of your idols from a young age,” added Draper, who also humorously noted Murray’s messy habits and “grubby, smelly shoes”.
“It’s obviously tough not having him here anymore,” concluded Draper, who will play China’s Zhang Zhizhen in a challenging first-round match on Tuesday. “Maybe one day he’ll be more present on the coaching scene, doing his thing, but yeah, I definitely miss the camaraderie and the nonsense talk, and the jokes, and the serious talk as well, that he used to bring.”
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
