Following his success at last weekend's Ultimate Tennis Showdown Grand Final, British star Jack Draper has invited World Darts champion Phil Taylor to Wimbledon.
The 21-year old defeated two top-15 players in Casper Ruud and Holger Rune back-to-back to claim the title on Sunday, capping off his debut at the exhibition event with the trophy and a $546,800 check.
The Ultimate Tennis Showdown is a unique event that sees the players use nicknames, which are used when calling the score. Ahead of the tournament, Draper followed in the footsteps of Taylor, who is known as Phil "The Power" Taylor in the darts community; and branded himself ‘The Power’, paying homage to the 16-time World Darts champion while referencing his own dynamic game style.
Draper would later reveal Taylor had sent him a personal video message prior to the tournament, wishing him good luck in the tournament. After his victory, the British No.4 stated he would like to invite Taylor to one of hi matches at Wimbledon in the future.
"You know, funny story, he actually sent me a video before this week," said Draper after clinching the title. "I think he found out that I was going to be called The Power and he sent me a really cool video. So hopefully I’ve done Phil proud this week. He said good luck, I heard you’re called The Power and just all the best for the coming tournament, hope to see you one day.
"Maybe he’ll come down to Wimbledon if I can get the chance to invite him down," added Draper with a smile.