Two-time champion Andre Agassi among those impressed by British youngster's run to US Open semi-final where he faces the world No 1
Two-time champion Andre Agassi among those impressed by British youngster's run to US Open semi-final where he faces the world No 1The Gallagher brothers have played some of the biggest arenas in the world, but on Friday night, Draper will be part of his own two-man show on the biggest arena in tennis: the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Draper might have fluffed his lines had he known the former world No 1 was paying such close attention: it was a pair of classic Agassi Nike trainers that he donned immediately after match point and joked that he had no idea how anyone could run around a tennis court in it. Draper became the first British man to reach the US Open semi-final for more than decade with the 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 win over De Minaur.
“It’s amazing to be out here, my first match on the biggest court in the world. It’s a dream come true for me.” Neither man was without discomfort though. De Minaur was seemingly struggling with a hip problem he first suffered at Wimbledon, one which ruled him out of singles at the Olympics,m and he slipped several times behind the baseline with a grimace.
The Brit has 14 career mid-match injury withdrawals to his name, a staggering number for one so young, and admitted before this match that he twice nearly quit tennis altogether due to his physical struggles.Indeed his most recent retirement had come against De Minaur, albeit that was down to illness in Acapulco, and rather than quitting, his coach James Trotman recommended an aggressive approach that would ease the pressure on his hamstring.
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