Jack Draper insists it is ‘weird’ not having Andy Murray around at the US Open.
The 22-year-old is Britain’s hope for Grand Slam success following Murray’s retirement at the Olympics.
“It seems a bit weird not having Andy there with his rancid, stinking shoes next to me in the locker room,” Draper joked. “Andy’s shoes would always be drying out next to me with his wedding ring on them.
“I’ve been next to him in the locker room and you’d have his shoes, his wet grips – ‘Give me some space to sit down!’ But I do miss his presence a lot. I feel a responsibility to really play good tennis and be the British No 1.
“We miss Andy but things have to come to an end and hopefully I can keep on going and the other players as well.”
That is despite Emma Raducanu clumsily suggesting Murray was ‘old news’.
She said: “It doesn’t feel different at all. Tennis is unforgiving in that sense. No matter who you are, it just moves on. There is always another match, there is always another tournament.
“Of course Andy has achieved amazing things and I watched him win this tournament (in 2012) but it is a fast pace, just like life is. It’s old news the next day kind of thing.”
