Angry Jack Draper hampered by tonsillitis as Queen’s title dreams disappear

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Jack Draper smashes his racket
Jack Draper smashed his racket after taking his frustration out on a hoarding – BBC

While slipping towards defeat in his Queen’s semi-final, Jack Draper betrayed the pressure that goes with being British No1 during the grass-court season.

First Draper whacked a loose ball into the stands, then he swore at his player box, and finally he broke the digital courtside hoardings with a violent swing of his racket.

There were extenuating circumstances, however. In the interview room, Draper admitted that he had been diagnosed with tonsillitis on Friday, and was thus short on energy throughout this match.

As a result, he tried to gee himself up by getting angry – but this meant that he “walked a tightrope” as far as his behaviour was concerned. He sounded contrite about his behaviour, and admitted that he didn’t want to act this way on a tennis court.

Draper was struggling to stay with big-hitting Czech Jiri Lehecka at the time. In a finely balanced contest, both men had their chances, but it was Draper who cracked in the end, dropping serve in the penultimate game to set up Lehecka’s 6-4. 4-6, 7-6.

His attack on the courtside hoardings recollected the infamous occasion in 2012 when David Nalbandian kicked an advertising board so hard it splintered. Happily, though, there were no line judges on this occasion. Back in 2012, Nalbandian left official Andrew McDougall – who was sitting a few inches behind the board – with blood oozing from his shin.

Mind you, Draper did graze his knee in his clash with the hoardings, and could be seen applying an ice-pack to the area at the final changeover that followed his dropped service game. Meanwhile, chair umpire Adel Nour – who had been on the wrong end of a foul-mouthed rant from Corentin Moutet earlier in the tournament – handed Draper the inevitable warning for unsportsmanlike conduct, which is likely to be followed by a fine.

Jack Draper reacts
Jack Draper cut his right leg during the racket smash – PA/Adam Davy
Jack Draper's broken racket
Jack Draper made sure he wouldn’t be able to use his racket again – Getty Images/Luke Walker

Draper never quite found his best form in this match, even though his powerful service game made him difficult to break. Lehecka managed it twice, at his first and last attempt. But his own serve, which touched 141mph at one stage, was almost impregnable.

The defeat ended Draper’s hopes of winning a first title on home soil, but he had at least achieved one objective. By going this far in the tournament, he climbed above Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz in the world rankings, thus claiming a top-four seeding at Wimbledon which means that he won’t have to face either Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals.

03:56 PM BST

Broken racket and broken dreams

Jack Draper throws his racket
Jack Draper throws his racket after having his serve broken – Getty Images/Julian Finney

03:45 PM BST

What next for Draper?

Next stop is Wimbledon. As I mentioned earlier, he will be a top four seed which is a big boost to his hopes. He has never gone beyond the second round and the expectation is that he reaches at least the second week.

In the meantime, click here for everything you need to know at the third grand slam of the year.

03:30 PM BST

Lehecka reacts

It means a lot. You don’t meet a player like Jack every day, he’s an amazing competitor.

I know you’re favourite didn’t win today but I appreciate you being fair with me.

03:19 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 6-4, 5-7 Lehecka*

Draper gets a look at passing Lehecka but drags his backhand wide, 30-15. Tense forehand by Lehecka flies long, 30-30.

Timely first serve by Lehecka draws the error from Draper and earns a match point. Another big first serve, Draper’s blocked forehand is long.

GAME SET MATCH LEHECKA!!!!

03:16 PM BST

‘Good thing there’s no line judges’

Blimey, Draper has smacked the digital advertising hoarding so hard that he has broken it! And that’s a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct. Good thing there’s no line judges around any more!

03:16 PM BST

Draper* 4-6, 6-4, 5-6 Lehecka

Pressure on Draper again as his forehand drifts long, 0-30. Another tense rally, Draper dangerously close to missing but he survives then drills a backhand down the line which Lehecka can’t get into play.

Bang. Lehecka blasts a forehand down the line for a winner, two break points. Draper drops the ball short, Lehecka steps in and crushes a backhand down the line for a winner.

Draper loses his composure and whacks his racket against the electronic boards. He’s given a code violation by the umpire. 

But more importantly, he is on the verge of being beaten.

03:11 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 6-4, 5-5 Lehecka*

A hold to love for Lehecka. Good response after the missed opportunities in the previous game. All roads leading to a tie-break at the moment.

03:08 PM BST

‘Pimm’s-soaked crowd at Queen’s’

That’s as big a roar, as Draper saved break point, as you are likely to hear from this Pimm’s-soaked crowd at Queen’s. 

Even as I type, there’s a chap sitting in front of me in the media seats who is so tanked-up I think he might fall asleep, or maybe fall off his seat, at any moment.

03:06 PM BST

Draper* 4-6, 6-4, 5-4 Lehecka

Lehecka backhand up the line and Draper nets a backhand volley on the stretch, 15-30. Big point coming up.

Great second serve, it had to be. Swerving wide and Lehecka’s backhand misses the court, 30-30. Lehecka drills a return at the feet of Draper, break point Lehecka.

One of the longer rallies of the match, you can feel the tension in each shot and Lehecka blinks first with a forehand into the net, deuce.

Draper’s first serve has deserted him in this game hence the pressure he’s under. But he comes through again to hold. Massive moment in the match.

03:02 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 6-4, 4-4 Lehecka*

Aggressive play by Draper but can’t find the line with a cross court backhand, 30-0. At 40-0, Lehecka doubles faults but he comes through to hold again.

On we go…

02:58 PM BST

Draper* 4-6, 6-4, 4-3 Lehecka

Steely look from Draper towards Lehecka as he marches to his chair after a volley winner to hold. Into the business end of the set now.

02:56 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 6-4, 3-3 Lehecka*

My colleague Simon Briggs says a small rain shower has passed. And it clearly wasn’t enough to distract Lehecka completing another easy hold.

02:51 PM BST

Draper* 4-6, 6-4, 3-2 Lehecka

Does Draper have the biggest forehand in men’s tennis? He is certainly up there. He crushes a forehand down the line to lead 40-15 and an unreturned serve seals the game.

02:50 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 6-4, 2-2 Lehecka*

Lehecka’s serve is also back to normal. He’s rediscovered his first serve and it is making the difference. Draper will want to make an impression soon.

02:47 PM BST

‘Forehand hasn’t really been at the races all week’

The Draper forehand delivered a nice winner up the line to seal the third game, but it hasn’t really been at the races all week. Amazing, really, that he’s got this far on the basis of a brilliant serve and a slick backhand, with a few volleys thrown in.

02:46 PM BST

Draper* 4-6, 6-4, 2-1 Lehecka

Draper is riding the momentum here and cruises to another routine hold. His forehand has certainly come to the party in the last 30 minutes.

02:43 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 6-4, 1-1 Lehecka*

Lehecka takes out his frustration with a few big first serves to hold. He will want to reset and go again because he didn’t do a lot wrong.

02:37 PM BST

Final set: Draper* 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 Lehecka

So into a deciding set we go and the momentum is all with Draper. He starts strongly here with a love to 15.

02:35 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 6-4 Lehecka*

Lehecka forehand into the net gives Draper an opening at 15-30. Another forehand error and Draper has two set points.

Lehecka approaches the net, Draper hits a cross court backhand, Lehecka meets it with drop volley, Draper sprints forward and clips a shot down the line.

The crowd think it might be out. Draper looks unsure. But there’s no call from the umpire. And replays show the ball caught the outside of the baseline. Draper clenches his fist and the crowd erupts. He breaks for the first time and takes the set.

Game on!

02:30 PM BST

‘Most of the pressure has been on the Lehecka serve’

Feels like most of the pressure has been on the Lehecka serve in this set. Draper has held five break points and faced only two, but he hasn’t converted, and that could cost him. A couple more chances remain.

02:29 PM BST

Draper* 4-6, 5-4 Lehecka

Serve continues to be king at the moment and Draper holds to love with a swerving wide ace. Lehecka serving next to stay in the set.

02:28 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 4-4 Lehecka*

Not much Draper can down when Lehecka is firing down 14mph first serves. Lehecka rises to the moment and holds to 30 with a volley winner.

02:23 PM BST

Draper* 4-6, 4-3 Lehecka

Draper keeps his nose ahead with a much more comfortable service hold. Approaching the business end of the set. Time for Draper to make his move.

02:19 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 3-3 Lehecka*

Lehecka tries to serve and volley but Draper sees it and drops a forehand low at Lehecka, who nets, 30-30. Backhand long from Lehecka makes it deuce. Another serve and volley play by Lehecka and he finishes coolly with an angled volley.

Forehand long by Lehecka, break point Draper. He’s making so many returns at the moment.

So good from Lehecka. Draper does get the ball back but a series of deep forehands by the Czech prove too much. And Lehecka escapes with another hold.

02:13 PM BST

‘Small margins in grass-court tennis’

Small margins in grass-court tennis. If Draper had found another six inches of width on his forehand pass at 30-40, he would have broken for 3-1. As it is, he needed some lovely touches to escape being broken himself. 

The dominance of serve goes on and it is still only Draper’s slightly slow start that separates the two players. 

02:11 PM BST

Draper* 4-6, 3-2 Lehecka

Important for Draper to keep his cool amid the frustration bubbling away. Deep forehand approach by Draper, Lehecka gets there and whips a cross court forehand that is too much for Draper, 30-40.

Draper second serve is unreturned by Lehecka, deuce. Lehecka finds the angles and Draper flicks a forehand down the line long, another break point.

Cat and mouse rally, both looking to send the other the wrong way before Draper gets the job done with a forehand flick, deuce. Draper comes through another service game to lead.

02:05 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 2-2 Lehecka*

Perfect start by Draper as he finds the line with a brilliant running cross court forehand winner. Even Lehecka applauds. Lehecka then fires a forehand long, 0-30. Then a double fault gives Draper three break points. He’s got to take them.

Lehecka saves the first with a forehand winner back behind Draper. Then the second when a desperate forehand down the line by Draper goes long. One break point remaining…

Lehecka serve and volleys, Draper has a look at a forehand down the line but doesn’t hit it cleanly and Lehecka puts away the volley. Deuce.

Lehecka drops shot, Draper hustles up to the ball and flicks a backhand down the line for a winner. Fourth break point.

Lehecka ace, back to deuce. Brilliant serving. And he survives the scare with a volley winner to the immense frustration of Draper.

01:57 PM BST

Draper* 4-6, 2-1 Lehecka

Draper can take comfort in the fact that his serve is firing and Lehecka isn’t getting a look in. He holds to love in about 90 seconds.

01:56 PM BST

Draper 4-6, 1-1 Lehecka*

A microcosm of the match. Draper not doing much wrong but Lehecka is doing everything right, combining power and finesse to keep the Briton at bay.

01:51 PM BST

Second set: Draper* 4-6, 1-0 Lehecka

Little pep talk from Draper to himself. He will know he needs to raise his level, do something different to unsettle Lehecka. Encouraging signs from Draper that he wants to get to the net in this game. A robust hold to 15 to start the set.

01:48 PM BST

‘Like watching Boris Becker and Kevin Curren in 1985’

That set flashed past, with barely a rally to speak of and no fewer than 14 aces, equally split between the two men. It was like watching Boris Becker and Kevin Curren in 1985! 

01:47 PM BST

Draper 4-6 Lehecka*

Time for Draper to make his move. Not much he can do though when Lehecka fires down back-to-back aces to start the game. A let call means he just misses out on three aces in a row and the ensuing rally is won by Draper, 30-15.

Frustration for Draper as he nets a backhand return off Lehecka’s second serve. Two set points.

Deep backhand into the corner by Lehecka is too hot for Draper and his feet goes wide. First set to Lehecka and it is fully deserved.

Work to do for Draper… 

01:42 PM BST

Draper* 4-5 Lehecka

Draper gets a service hold to love and pressures Lehecka to serve out the set.

01:41 PM BST

Draper 3-5 Lehecka*

An opening for Draper as Lehecka double faults, 15-30. He hits back straight away with a wide ace. Then another ace, 139mph, down the T. Huge serving.

Deep forehand into the corner by Lehecka after a short return by Draper and the Briton can’t get his scrambling forehand into play. Another game to the Czech.

01:35 PM BST

Draper* 3-4 Lehecka

Lehecka showing his touch and feel again with an exquisite sliced backhand which spins away from Draper for a winner, 0-15. When Draper gets his first serve in play, he is winning the point and that takes him to 40-15. Third double fault of the match for Draper is followed by an unreturned first serve and Draper holds.

01:32 PM BST

Draper 2-4 Lehecka*

Draper is opting to block his returns into play but the ball sits up nicely for Lehecka to blast a winner into the corner, 30-0. Back-to-back aces from Lehecka gives him the game. Seriously impressive start and Draper doesn’t have the answers at the moment.

01:28 PM BST

Draper* 2-3 Lehecka

Draper’s serve has been mixed so far today and a double fault puts him in trouble at 30-30. An ace puts him ahead and he holds with a deep top spin forehand into the backhand is too much for Lehecka.

01:26 PM BST

Draper 1-3 Lehecka*

Quality of Lehecka continues to shine through as he holds to 15 with an ace. He is yet to drop a set this week at Queen’s and he looks like claiming another one if Draper can’t apply some pressure.

01:21 PM BST

Draper* 1-2 Lehecka

Draper needs to settle here and get on the scoreboard but the big hitting of Lehecka is troubling him at the moment. However, he gets the game with a backhand winner down the line.

01:18 PM BST

Draper 0-2 Lehecka*

Quick response needed by Draper but the serve of Lehecka keeps him at bay as the Czech moves to 30-0. Draper backhand down the line is met by a deft drop volley winner from Lehecka. And he finishes the game in style, firing a backhand down the line for a winner.

A warning shot for Draper about how this match could go.

01:15 PM BST

First set: Jack Draper* 0-1 Jiri Lehecka (*denotes server)

First ace of the match for Draper is quickly followed by another to move to 30-15. But a forehand long by Draper means he is facing a break point at 30-40. 

Double fault by Draper. That was a wild second serve. Not even close to the service box. Lehecka breaks.

Perhaps some early nerves from Draper.

01:11 PM BST

Here we go!

The players are out warming up. The stands are filling up. The sun is out in west Kensington.

Draper to serve first!

01:02 PM BST

Everyone wants to meet Jack

12:57 PM BST

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12:52 PM BST

If you were missing Andy Murray, look no further…

12:33 PM BST

‘It’s a definite huge step for me’

Hello and welcome to semi-final coverage from the Queen’s Club as Jack Draper bids to reach the final and set up a potential showdown with Carlos Alcaraz. 

Draper has not had it easy in his passage to the last four, needing three sets to win his past two matches. 

But the victories mean the British No 1 is guaranteed to claim a top four seed for Wimbledon and that is significant because it means he won’t face Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner until the semis at SW19. 

Draper admitted climbing into the world’s top four was a “huge step” but insisted it offers no guarantees of success at Wimbledon.

“I think it’s a definite huge step for me,” he said. “I remember last year going in ranked around 30 or 40. To be inside the top four one year around, that’s massive progress, a testament to my team, the dedication I have had for tennis, the work I have put in on a daily basis.

“You know, I live and breathe the sport, and I’m obsessed with progressing and obsessed with becoming the player that I want to become all the time and achieve the things I want to.

“It’s another step in the right direction. At Wimbledon, regardless of seeding, each match is very difficult, because obviously you’ve got loads of top players in the draw, a bit like this week.

“But it gives me confidence knowing I’m in that position and I’m going to be in the right place for that.”

Today, Draper faces Czech world No 30 Jiri Lehecka, who ended Jacob Fearnley’s run.

Later in the afternoon, top seed Alcaraz take on fellow Spaniard, Roberto Bautista Agut, after the 37-year-old knocked out fourth seed Holger Rune in three sets.

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