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South Wales Argus
11 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Jack Draper using Queen's exit for motivation ahead of Wimbledon
Draper missed out on reaching the final in West Kensington after he fell to a 6-4 4-6 7-5 defeat at the hands of Jiri Lehecka, who will face reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's decider, after the Spaniard's straight sets 6-4 6-4 success over compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut in Saturday's other semi-final. Though Draper can only watch their contest from the sidelines, he hopes to use the experience of his week in west London as the building block for a fruitful summer on the lawns of SW19. 'It's my best result here,' said Draper, who was battling a bout of tonsilitis. "I lost to a better player today on the day, missed a couple of shots here and there, and at this level you obviously can't do that. 'I felt like it was a solid week. I didn't play my best tennis, but at the same time seeing the improvements since last year and I gave myself a chance of being in the final tomorrow. 'I didn't quite get over the line but that's tennis really and I'm looking to keep improving from here to hopefully do better at Wimbledon. 'I'm obviously very gutted right now. I gave myself a chance of being out there tomorrow. This is a tournament I have watched since I was young and I'm always really motivated to come here. 'It hurts a bit more because it's at home. Obviously it isn't the big one, but every match I lose, I take really hard, especially here, so it will definitely take me a couple of days. All of my losses, I just use as fuel and as motivation to get better. Now I have got to improve some things in the next week. 'I'm really happy to be able to have four matches on the grass and that's a real plus going into Wimbledon. Draper began his battle with Lehecka on the backfoot after going down a break in the opening set and the Czech star swiftly secured an early lead. The British No.1 found a way back into the contest in the second and entered the third poised to complete the comeback. But he was unable to carry that momentum into the decider, falling to Lehecka after two hours and nine minutes. It was a chance missed and Draper's frustration was plain to see after his dream of a home final was denied by the Czech, provoking the 23-year-old to apologise for his temporary loss of composure. Draper added: 'I have worked so hard to get myself in that position and I really tried to get myself up and get the energy going. 'I was trying to use everything I could. I tried to compete for every ball but in the end, anger just spilled over a little bit too much.' Draper's exploits in reaching the final four at Queen's earlier this week secured him a top four seed at Wimbledon ahead of next week's all important draw. That means he will avoid heavyweight duo Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, between them winners of the last six Grand Slams, until the semi-finals should he progress that far. There, the eyes of the nation will be upon him as the great hope of British tennis and Draper is welcoming the weight of expectation. He said: 'Obviously there is a little bit of pressure, but at the same time, I have really felt the home support. It's gotten more in every match I played and that's something that really is an advantage and drives me on. 'When I'm out there, I don't think about any of pressure. I've got a job in front of me. I've got to play point by point. 'It's a privilege to be in the position I'm in, and I'm going to go to Wimbledon and I'm going to feel amazing. I'm going to feel great about myself. I'm going back there in the position that I have always wanted to be since I was a kid and I'll prepare properly and the best I can to play some of my best tennis there. 'The home support that I will receive is going to help me to do well.' Draper was not the only home favourite in action in West Kensington, with plenty of British action to be found in doubles. Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie fell to a semi-final exit at the hands of doubles specialists Michael Venus and Nikola Mektić 6-3 7-5 but British interest remains thanks to Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool's victory over Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara to book their place in the final. For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Katie Boulter's staggering family hint for Alex de Minaur after sad news
Katie Boulter has caught Alex de Minaur by surprise having hinted she could be ready to start a family soon after the sad news the British No.1 has withdrawn from the Qatar Open. Boulter unfortunately left the Australian Open not long after her shock defeat in the second round, which meant she wasn't in de Minaur's player's box for his defeat to Jannik Sinner. Boulter returned home to rest before kick-starting her schedule again in Qatar. Her fiance has since played the Davis Cup against Sweden and de Minaur also just reached the Rotterdam Open final having also moved to World No.6 in the rankings. De Minaur moved to 11-1 this year in singles and could play Carlos Alcaraz in the final having overtaken Novak Djokovic in the world rankings. But the Aussie would have received quite the surprise when leaving the court after Boulter's social media post. The British No.1, who was watching de Minaur from home, aligned some of her personal goals with de Minaur's tennis goals. The duo are engaged and de Minaur most recently talked about planning their wedding. And Boulter suggested that when they get married, it should coincide with de Minaur winning a grand slam. This isn't too far of a stretch with the Aussie arguably one of the most in form players in the world right now. However, the next suggestion took the Aussie by surprise. Boulter wrote winning a 500 event will equal them having a baby. And de Minaur was quick to reply with a tongue-in-cheek comment: "You got any ideas you wanna share with me?" De Minaur and Boulter have been dating since March 2020, and news of their engagement at the end fo 2024 capped off an incredible year for both of them on and off the court. While de Minaur's form continues to get better and better in 2025, Boulter suffered a tough setback with news she won't be competing at the Qatar Open. You got any ideas you wanna share with me??? 😅😂 — alex de minaur (@alexdeminaur) February 8, 2025 Boulter returned home after the Australian Open seemingly fit as she looked to rest before travelling to Doha. Although, the 28-year-old only made a brief mention of her withdrawal from her upcoming tournament as she hinted it won't be a long time away from the sport. "I'll be back soon. I hope very soon because there's only so much of this British weather I can take," she wrote. De Minaur's response certainly sent some fans into a spin having wished his fiancee a speedy recovery. "Small bump on the road, will be back in no time," he wrote for his partner. Boulter is expected to return soon. Speedy recovery @katiecboulter ❤️🩹 — LTA (@the_LTA) February 7, 2025 During her recovery in England, Boulter has been cheering on De Minaur after the Aussie reached the Rotterdam Open final. De Minaur admitted the manner in which he was defeated at the Australian Open took a tough toll on. Although the 25-year-old has bounced back in brilliant fashion having just defeated Mattia Belluci in straight sets to reach his second Rotterdam Open final. During his run, De Minaur took over Daniil Medvedev in the world rankings. And reaching the final means he will move to World No.6 next week and overtake Novak Djokovic in the rankings.
