JACK DRAPER broke the electronic advertising hoardings as he smashed his racquet… and crashed out of Queen’s.
The British No1 was desperate to book his place in the final in West London.
But he came up just short against Czech ace Jiri Lehecka, losing an agonising semi-final 6-4 4-6 7-5 in front of Jon Bon Jovi.
And Draper’s temper boiled over when he lost his serve at a crucial time late in the deciding set.
The world No6 – who will be seeded fourth at Wimbledon – was beaten by a stunning clean backhand winner from his opponent to seal the break.
And as Draper ran across the back of the Andy Murray Arena court, he let his frustration out.
Careful not to damage the manicured lawn, the Sutton star whacked his Dunlop racquet into the electronic board at the side of the court.
But as he did so, the screen – ironically showing a red-and-white advert for his own sponsors Dunlop – crackled and then cut out.
The top part of the hoarding also came away.
But it appeared the damage was not limited to the screen.
Because Draper also cracked right through his frame to break his racquet, sending his shock absorber flying.
And it appeared he may have hurt himself too as he checked his hand and hobbled gingerly to his chair for the changeover with blood on his knee.
Draper was given a code violation warning for unsportsmanlike conduct by umpire Adel Nour – having earlier escaped punishment for blasting a ball in anger – to go with his time violation warning.
BBC Sport commentator Andrew Cotter said: “Again, the anger shows which you understand.
“That racquet has seen better days. He’s done a bit of damage and maybe damage to his hand.
“Adel Nour had no option at all. Yes, you understand it, this is a big, big event for Draper.”
After digging a fresh racquet out of his bag, the former US Open semi-finalist could not get the all-important immediate break back as Lehecka served out the win and book his place in the final.
Draper – who earlier yelled “f*** off” and also thumped his shoe with his racquet – revealed he has been battling tonsillitis throughout his run to the semis but did hold hands up for losing his cool in the sweltering heat.
He said: “I don’t condone that behaviour, but at the same time, that’s where I was at today.
“I was trying to use everything I could. I tried to compete with every ball. But in the end, anger just spilled over a bit too much.
“When you’re not feeling great, when your energy is really low, you use everything you can to get yourself up.
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“I’m getting angry to get fired up. When you give everything you have, not just in tennis, you’re playing a bit more on a tightrope.
“When you try your best and things don’t go your way, it’s easy to spill over. That’s what happened out there.
“I don’t want to behave like that, in all honesty, but that’s just the way I sort of am as a competitor. Sometimes I just play on a bit of a tightrope.”
But tennis fans on social media were disappointed with Draper’s furious outburst.
One said: “Striking the hard-to-maintain grass court in front of your home fans and your knee like a psycho after losing a point, you will never make me like Jack Draper.”
Another wrote: “Some weak umpiring meant Draper didn’t get a warning when he fired a ball earlier. Furious at getting broken at 5-5 in the third he goes after the ad board signage and… breaks it.”
A third added: “Lehecka breaks and Draper smashes the billboard… hefty fine coming for the Brit.”
A fourth commented: “Kids will be watching and follow his abysmal behaviour, just like McIlroy launching his golf clubs through the air. There is absolutely no excuse.”
And a final user wrote: “Pathetic from Draper. Misses a shot and smashes his racquet into the advertising board. Can’t stand that sort of behaviour.”
It is not the first time Draper has destroyed a racquet in recent times.
Draper obliterated his frame in Great Britain’s Davis Cup defeat to Canada in November and did the same at the Italian Open in Rome last month.
But he will be hoping he can channel his concentration into a deep run at Wimbledon, which gets underway next Monday.
Wimbledon ditching line judges a double fault for British tennis
By Joshua Jones
THE absence of line judges at Wimbledon will be a sad sight.
For as long as I can remember, the men and women decked out in their Ralph Lauren outfits have been part of the furniture at the All England Club.
Yes, they provided some mild entertainment on the court when one would call “fault” with plenty of extra, and unnecessary, gusto and volume that boomed around Centre Court, prompting a snigger from the fans.
Then there was the ongoing game of dodgeball they had to play when a big serve nailed a mammoth ace down the line and they had to take rapid evasive action or take a whack to the top of the head.
And challenges provided some audience participation, excitedly joining in the clapping countdown before the inevitable “oooh” when the graphic showed just how close the ball was to landing in or out.
Purely objectively, Wimbledon’s decision to replace line judges with Hawk-Eye Live makes total sense.
The accuracy and consistency of calls in real-time will speed things up, save time and should mark the end of arguments over the tight incorrect calls – well, until the technology malfunctions.
And Wimbledon’s hand was somewhat forced to ditch tradition for their standing in tennis.
The Australian Open and US Open already use electronic line calling and the ATP Tour is adopting Hawk-Eye Live across all of its tournaments from 2025.
Wimbledon’s refusal to comply would leave them lagging behind and exposed to the threat of needless controversy over human error.
But the impact – as is so often the case in these decisions – has ramifications further down, below the surface with very little impact on Wimbledon’s Championships or the players.
It is on the line judges themselves.
Approximately 300 officials – aged from 18 to 80 – covered more than 650 matches at Wimbledon.
A fraction travel internationally with the circuit but the vast majority of those are part-time line judges based in the UK, earning up to £180 per day to work at the prestigious tournament and their chance to play their part at Wimbledon.
For many, they will help out at British tournaments throughout the year, spurred on by the possibility of taking to the lawns of the All England Club.
But it is understood many of those officials would be reluctant to work at the lower-level tournaments without the carrot of Wimbledon dangling in the summer.
That in turn will put a major stumbling block in the pathway for British tennis umpires, who grind up through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Like football with referees, tennis needs umpires and line judges.
So the inability to call “out” at Wimbledon could prove to be a major “fault” for the future of the UK’s tennis officials and therefore the state of the sport on these shores.
Read the full article here