"I didn't really know what was going on": Jack Draper opens up about protest during Miami Open defeat to Jakub Mensik

Britain’s Jack Draper has opened up about a weird incident that took place at the Miami Open. The 23-year-old, who is regarded as one of the most talented players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, suffered a defeat in the second round of the ongoing ATP 1000 event in Miami to Jakub Mensik in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6.

During that match, a weird incident happened as a portion of the crowd protested. The reason was that the crowd was there to see young Brazilian tennis star Joao Fonseca, but he was playing on another court. The 18-year-old, who is regarded as one for the future, secured his spot in the third round after beating France’s Ugo Humbert in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-3. Draper was quoted in a report by Daily Express where he stated that he did not understand the reason behind the protest.

"I didn't really know what was going on it was getting quite loud, couldn't really hear the ball being hit,” he said. "I think those Brazilian fans had been in the stadium all day waiting for him [Fonseca] to play and then obviously they changed the court. It's not ideal I can understand their frustration, we had to stop for a bit. It's so good [the support], especially at this tournament where I don't feel like the crowd attendance is amazing, it's not fair on them if they can't get on that centre court. I can understand their frustration, I was just confused as to what was going on.”

Sky Sports pundit Laura Robson was also quoted in a report where she explained her point of view about the whole incident. “You absolutely can't believe it,” she said. “The boos are very much justified because it's just been announced that Fonseca and Humbert is moving to stadium court. All these Brazilian fans have been sat here for hours and hours are now just finding out and they're trying to head over. The queues are going to be outrageous trying to get in. You feel so bad for them and it just makes it really difficult for the two players on court. There's so much drama happening around the crowd and they're just trying to play tennis. Just absolute scenes out here!"