British 19-year-old Jack Draper, ranked 253rd in the world, stuns top seed Novak Djokovic by winning the first set in their match on Wimbledon’s Centre Court… before world No 1 battles back to move within a set of the second round
- Jack Draper is going up against Novak Djokovic on day one of Wimbledon
- Draper caused the Serbian a real scare by pushing him to the wire in the first set
- 19-year-old stunned the No 1 seed by winning the opening set 6-4 on Monday
- Djokovic was seen shaking his head and looked to the skies during the interval
- The world No 1 soon battled back, winning the second set 6-1 and the third 6-2
Rookie British tennis star Jack Draper has shocked world No 1 Novak Djokovic by pulling off a sublime opening set victory on day one at Wimbledon.
The 19-year-old is up against the Serbian tennis legend, and took an early lead inside a packed centre court against all the odds, winning the first set 6-4.
Slipping and stumbling around the court, Djokovic was pegged back by the teenager from Sutton, and had no option but to surrender the first set.
Jack Draper took a shock lead against top seed Novak Djokovic on day one at Wimbledon
Djokovic struggled to retain his footing and balance during a frenetic opening set
A passionate and partisan home crowd roared Draper on from the stands, as the players prepared to resume battle for the second set.
A clearly irate Djokovic roared back in the second set, finding both his feet and his rhythm to give young Draper the runaround on court with whole repertoire of shots.
The Serb took a double break in the second to lead 5-1, before serving successfully for the set in routine fashion.
Djokovic followed it up with an impressive performance in the third set, taking it 6-2 to move another step closer to a comeback victory on day one.
A packed centre court roared on the English youngster and created a cauldron of noise
Djokovic soon battled back, winning the second and third sets on the first day of Wimbledon
Draper – whose father Roger used to be chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association – obtained his place at Wimbledon due to a wildcard and was immediately served up a showdown with the best player in the tournament.
The only British teenager in the world’s 300 top-ranked players, he is seen as the country’s brightest new star.
Former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski recently outlined that he sees Draper as the man to take centre stage in a post-Andy Murray world.
‘He looks like the heir apparent,’ Rusedski had told Tatler.
‘It’s going to be very interesting to see Jack against the best player on the planet, see how his game holds up.
‘It’s an amazing experience to play the defending champion in the opening match of the Championships.’