‘Still holes in my game’ – Draper on Wimbledon exit

British no. 1 Jack Draper insists a subpar performance was not due to increased pressure at this year’s tournament, but that he was not “good enough” in a shocking second-round exit to the Wimbledon.

Draper fell to 36-year-old Marin Cilic, who was seeded fourth at the All England Club, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.

The 23-year-old was the highest-ranked home player since Andy Murray won the men’s title in 2017 and was the highest seeded player there.

Murray won Wimbledon for the first time in 77 years in 2013, and he added his second title three years later. He retired last year.

“It makes me believe that Andy’s success in winning here twice was just unbelievable,” Draper said.

“It’s not the pressure,” he said. I didn’t intend to go out there because I felt a lot of pressure. You [journalists] frequently mention it.

Draper now looks like a real Wimbledon contender thanks to his incredible rise over the past year.

The Englishman has reached two additional ATP Tour finals, the semi-finals of the US Open, and the prestigious Indian Wells title in a year.

Many experts believed his game could be transferred to the Wimbledon grass after winning a title on the Stuttgart grass last year and making it to the Queen’s semi-finals last month despite being ill.

In all truth, Draper said, “I’ve been really disappointed with the way my game’s been on the grass this year.

On the grass, I really struggled. On the hard courts and the clay, I had a great time.

The left-hander’s serve and forehand were praised as the key positions, but Cilic, who finished second overall in 2017, pushed him too far in the court, causing his veteran to lose his game as he regressed through the years.

“I think the hole in my forehand definitely appeared,” Draper said.

“I couldn’t handle the ball he threw into my forehand.” I was overspinning a lot.

I believe that because I can create the speed and spin I want, and the effectiveness of that, a lot of my success this year with my forehand comes from having more time.

Todd Woodbridge, a 1997 Wimbledon singles semi-finalist and nine-time champion, appeared on BBC TV.

I didn’t believe Jack Draper had any nerves; instead, I felt good about his actions.

Just as I expected, I didn’t like how things turned out for him. Because Cilic’s beautiful ball-striking return was impacted by the left-handed serve, the matchup was awkward.

Cilic then used his forehand to dictate when he returned the ball in a deep direction. He dispensed all of Draper’s weapons, and he [Draper] never actually had the freedom to dictate play.

Draper didn’t return well enough if you went over all the statistics.

Although I thought he received a lot of balls, Cilic had the ball to dictate. Cilic had to dominate him in that area when Cilic was serving second.

Draper’s backhand was used far too frequently, and that wasn’t his weapon.