Britain’s tennis star
Jack Draper’s match has been moved to
the center court after the withdrawal of former world number one
Andy Murray
from
Wimbledon 2024. The third Grand Slam of the year is already underway where
players from all over the world are battling to secure the ultimate prize.
The tournament, however, suffered a major setback on Tuesday
with the announcement of Murray’s withdrawal. The 37-year-old, who is often regarded as one of the greatest British players in history in the singles category, was forced to withdraw from the mega-event after failing to recover from a back injury. He sustained that injury during the Queen’s ATP Championship, after which he also underwent surgery.
This is not the first time Murray has had fitness concerns. He has struggled with fitness concerns throughout his career, and it was because of this reason that he was forced to retire from professional tennis in 2018 as well, but he made a miraculous return a few months later.
After Murray’s withdrawal, Draper’s contest with Elias Ymer
has been moved to the centre court. The 22-year-old is already regarded as one of the most highly-rated British players currently playing in the men’s singles category. He is coming into the competition after impressive
performances on the grass court. The Sutton-born star recently lifted the Stuttgart
Open after beating Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the final with a score of 3-6,
7-6, 6-4.
After that, he participated in the Queen’s ATP Championship, where
his journey ended after he lost in the quarterfinal to America’s Tommy
Paul with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. But before that, the youngster managed to
register arguably the biggest win of his career as he defeated the 2023 Wimbledon
champion and the former world number one Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the second
round with a score of 7-6, 6-3.