Britain’s young tennis star,
Jack Draper, is eager to leave a huge impact when he takes the court at the Paris Olympics. The 2024 edition of the mega-event is set to begin on Friday, and thousands of athletes from all over
the world will participate to showcase their talent and secure glory for their respective
teams.
Draper will be one of those athletes representing Great Britain’s side in the tennis category and their
biggest hope in the men’s singles category. The 22-year-old was recently quoted
in a report explaining what it means to him to participate in an event
like the Olympics. The Sutton-born star further admitted that he has no idea how it is to represent your country in an event like the Olympics, but he is determined to do well.
“I’m so excited,” he said. “Obviously Wimbledon is like the
pinnacle for the tennis players - even though the tennis season is long and
there are many tournaments after Wimbledon, you’re still sometimes in a lull
afterwards because you finish that big event. It’s nice to come off Wimbledon
and have something that’s hugely exciting in front of you in the Olympics. I’ve
never been before so I don’t know what to expect or what’s going to happen but
I’m looking forward to that occasion and being back in a team environment like
Davis Cup and enjoying it.”
Draper is set to face Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the first
round of the men’s singles event on Saturday. It will be the first-ever meeting
between the two players. Interestingly, both players are coming into the
competition after a somewhat disappointing Wimbledon 2024. Draper was knocked
out of the competition after losing to Cameron Norrie in straight sets in the second round with a score of 7-6, 6-4, 7-6. On the other hand, Nishikori was
knocked out of the mega-event after losing in the first round to France’s Arthur
Rinderknech with a score of 5-7, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.