British No 1s Katie Boulter and Jack Draper have given a very different outlook on Andy Murray’s retirement compared to Emma Raducanu.
The 21-year-old caused a stir last week when she brushed off Murray’s retirement as ‘old news’.
Raducanu controversially pulled out of her mixed doubles match with Murray at Wimbledon, which inadvertently denied the 37-year-old one last chance to play at the British slam.
But her apparent coldness towards Murray isn’t shared by her compatriots with Boulter offering a different response when asked about the British icon’s impact.
Emma Raducanu caused a stir with her comments about Andy Murray
GETTY
“He’s been so well established in the British tennis system for so long now, he’s kind of been the one holding us all up,” Boulter said.
“He’s been there the whole entire time, and I don’t take that for granted. I think everything that he’s done for us is incredible.
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“I was there [at the National Tennis Centre in south-west London] since I was 13 years old, so I saw him quite a bit.
“I was obviously too scared to go up to him and speak to him like a little 14-year-old girl would be.
“But I think just even being in the same atmosphere as him, you feel his presence, you feel he’s in there. You see what he’s doing, you see how he’s working.
Katie Boulter praised Andy Murray’s impact on her career
PA
“I grew up thinking Andy would be the most professional guy on the planet. And he is.
“He’s mad about getting everything perfect, watching video slow-mos of his serve and all this sort of stuff.
“When you’re in the locker room before matches, and you’ve got someone as great as Andy sat next to you, it’s mad to be sitting next to one of your idols from a young age.
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Jack Draper misses Andy Murray’s presence
PA
“Not to have him here anymore is obviously difficult.
“Maybe one day he’ll be more around on the coaching scene, doing his thing, but, yeah, I definitely miss the camaraderie and the nonsense chat, and the banter, and the serious chats, as well, that he used to bring.”
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