Week 40 - Nigeria F3 - Lagos ($25,000+H) (hard)

indiana · Tennis legend

RE: Week 40 - Nigeria F3 - Lagos ($25,000+H) (hard)

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

2 more wins for a top 500 placing already is very impressive.

indiana · Tennis legend

Andy's highest ranking as a 16 yo was WR 530.

However, it is very much worth pointing out that due to injury he didn't compete between the end of November 2003 until after his 17th birthday (15/05/04) so essentially not between 16 1/2 and 17.

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

Also worth noting that Jacks father is Roger Draper ex LT(ory)A therefore he is likely to get a lot more preferential treatment than Andy who did it off his own back without any steps up that Jack will certainly get from the British Tennis Aristocracy.

Nix · Futures level

Jaggy1876 wrote:
Also worth noting that Jacks father is Roger Draper ex LT(ory)A therefore he is likely to get a lot more preferential treatment than Andy who did it off his own back without any steps up that Jack will certainly get from the British Tennis Aristocracy.

Actually there are more parallels than you give credit to. Jacks mother was his early tennis coach, not his father, and he credits her and his brother for helping him more than his father. Andy benefitted from time in Spain playing with top juniors and coaches. Admittedly Andys family have probably sacrificed more for his sport in the early days than Jacks have but both players have had to do the same training drills, juggle education and sport, give up a social life etc. I have to say its a bit much using a 16 year old boy as a football for your political beliefs. Let the poor guy have a bit of a career and grow up a bit before you start having a go. I agree that its almost impossible to get to the very top in tennis in this country without having either money or coming from a tennis family, like Jay Clarke for instance who has siblings that play, but why not have a go at the administration not the players that have benefited from it, particularly when hes not yet even an adult?

chavkev · Intermediate Club Player

I think that Jack is also likely to have experienced things in the other direction. When I first heard of his existence, I automatically assumed nepotism. I will not have been the only person.

Well done Jack. Hopefully you have a lot more successes in the future.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And given that Jack, according to journalists at Wimbly time, is effectively estranged from his father, and has been for some time, the relationship is certainly not a simple one. Must have been hard for Roger Draper not being in the stands when your son is playing a Junior Wimbly final.....And hard for Jack, as chakev implies, having everyone assume things about him and his dad....

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Tom Jomby is the player who got a lot of coverage here about 4 years ago when he was unranked/very lowly ranked, out of college (Kentucky?), and beat quite a lot of British lads rather easily.

He's a pretty huge guy and hits a big ball. But lost about 18 months, not playing at all in 2016, I think, with a knee injury. Doing well but probably correctly ranked at about 400. Think his dad owns a fitness centre in France.

It's certainly the sort of player that a junior who's played mainly juniors will not have faced before - and, for someone like Jack who seems to understand matchplay very easily, a good learning experience and with certain plays that he'll be able to focus on.

The Knight · Challenger qualifying

Nix wrote:
Jaggy1876 wrote:
Also worth noting that Jacks father is Roger Draper ex LT(ory)A therefore he is likely to get a lot more preferential treatment than Andy who did it off his own back without any steps up that Jack will certainly get from the British Tennis Aristocracy.
Actually there are more parallels than you give credit to. Jacks mother was his early tennis coach, not his father, and he credits her and his brother for helping him more than his father. Andy benefitted from time in Spain playing with top juniors and coaches. Admittedly Andys family have probably sacrificed more for his sport in the early days than Jacks have but both players have had to do the same training drills, juggle education and sport, give up a social life etc. I have to say its a bit much using a 16 year old boy as a football for your political beliefs. Let the poor guy have a bit of a career and grow up a bit before you start having a go. I agree that its almost impossible to get to the very top in tennis in this country without having either money or coming from a tennis family, like Jay Clarke for instance who has siblings that play, but why not have a go at the administration not the players that have benefited from it, particularly when hes not yet even an adult?

Couldn't have said it better myself

indiana · Tennis legend

Just watching londontennistube's videos of Jack in action at Roehampton I was really struck by how gifted he was in the sense of naturally choosing the right time to say unload a big forehand or employ some exquisite lobs.

Another early thought I had when his name first came to the fore is that he had no doubt been given the best coaching and facilities from an early age but I imagined maybe a bit of an automaton that would possibly find the transition to seniors that lay ahead of him pretty difficult. It is so great that he looks anything but, with a very rare flair and instinctiveness in his play for one so young and a feisty, competitive nature. His accelerating improvement when he has joined the big boys with no favours given has been great to see.

Priesty · Challenger level

You don't achieve what Jack has at the age he is without having a heck of a lot of talent regardless of whoever your father happens to be.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Not suprisingly, Jack has found it tricky, losing the first set 2-6.

Website reporting a 'dominant' set of tennis from Jomby, who's now nipped off for a bathroom break.

However, Jomby is known for going a bit AWOL at times, and Jack quite the opposite....will be interesting to see if the second set is closer.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

"Better start to the second set by Jack #Draper- a second serve ace down the T gives him the hold for the 2-1 lead."

"Formidable serving from #Jomby as the top seed evens the second set at 2-2"

"Frustration for #Draper as he concedes the first break of this second set! Really up against it now, is the Brit."

"Boom! Boom!! Boom!!! Boom!!! Blink-and-you-miss it service game from @TomJomby, who slams down four aces to bag an emphatic hold to love! Like a dagger to the heart! Closing in on the #Lagosopen final! 6-2 4-2."

Great tweets from Lagos but are they writing our lad off too soon????

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

There was a huge game at 3-4*.

Jack had 7 break-back points.

But in the end he loses 6-2 6-3.

As said, given Jomby's profile, Jack won't have played many players like that, and the result was pretty much expected, but it's all a good learning experience.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Nice little interview with Jack on the Lagos site.

He says he wasn't playing well, that he sort of hit a wall, that he needs to go forward more, be more aggressive, that Jomby hits a big ball but he [Jack] didn't have the confidence to take the important break points.

Says it's unrealistic to expect to win every time, but he did look a little flat, bless.