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Jason Roy to have further scan on torn hamstring

Published in Cricket
Sunday, 23 June 2019 09:47

Jason Roy is to undergo a second scan on his torn hamstring on Monday morning.

Roy sustained the injury while fielding in the match against West Indies in Southampton on June 14. While the England camp were coy about the severity of the tear, they did express the hope that he would be fit to return to action before the end of the group stages. They have subsequently admitted, however, that the match against India - on June 30 - was probably the earliest possible date for his return.

Roy did not attend training with the rest of the squad on Sunday and is unlikely to be considered available for selection for Tuesday's match against Australia at Lord's. Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, has previously confirmed no chances will be taken with Roy's fitness and he will not be recalled until he has had a chance to prove his fitness. Roy also missed the start of the season after sustaining a hamstring injury during the ODI series in the Caribbean.

Roy's absence has been keenly felt by the England side. He has passed 50 five times in his six most recent ODI innings, 100 three times in his eight most recent, and has recorded the second-highest score (153 against Bangladesh) of the World Cup to date. His replacement, James Vince, has a top score of 51 in 10 ODIs and has scored 26 and 14 in his two innings in this tournament.

While the second scan is largely routine - the England medical team are keen to gain a clearer picture of how Roy is healing and how much longer he may be unavailable - there is a possibility the results will end Roy's involvement in the World Cup. Although the England management are keenly aware of Roy's value, they will know they cannot carry a player who has little possibility of recovering in time to play a meaningful part.

England will need to win at least one, and possibly two, of their remaining group games if they are to qualify for the semi-finals. Their final group match is against New Zealand, in Durham, on July 3. The semi-finals take place on July 9 and 11.

Roy has not trained since the incident. While he has generally appeared at training - he has sometimes refereed the inter-squad football matches and did have half-a-dozen throw-downs the day before the game in Leeds - the England management have been keen to prevent him running or doing anything else to exacerbate the injury. If Roy is ruled out of the rest of the tournament, Joe Denly and Dawid Malan would appear to be the most likely replacements.

Haris blitz ends South Africa's World Cup dream

Published in Cricket
Sunday, 23 June 2019 11:26

Pakistan 308 for 7 (Haris 89, Babar 69, Tahir 2-41) beat South Africa 259 for 9 (du Plessis 63, Wahab 3-46, Shadab 3-50) by 49 runs
As it happened

An inspired, backs-to-the-wall performance from Pakistan knocked South Africa out of the 2019 World Cup.

Pakistan let sense prevail in their selections for this game, and a re-jigged XI collected a vital, 49-run victory. Haris Sohail, drafted in place of Shoaib Malik, showed just what Pakistan had been missing by blasting 89 of the most sublimely-timed runs so far witnessed in this tournament. His innings added further impetus after an 81-run opening stand between Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman, gluing Pakistan's middle together alongside Babar Azam, who contributed 69. Haris then added 71 with Imad Wasim (with Imad, contributing just 23, mostly at the other end), and thanks to his nine fours and three sixes, Pakistan were able to take 91 from the last 10 and soar to 308 for 7.

South Africa have never successfully chased 300-plus in a World Cup: the highest total they've ever overhauled is India's 296 in Nagpur in 2011. And they haven't chased a 300-plus target in any ODI in nearly three years, the last time being against Australia in Durban in October 2016.

Watch on Hotstar (India only) - Full match highlights

Mohammad Amir and Shadab Khan struck repeatedly to overcome their top order and ensure this would not be a historic occasion for South Africa, and a reverse-swinging, low-armed Wahab Riaz then did as he does best, skittling the lower order at the death with the required rate skyrocketing.

Amir finished with 2 for 49, taking his World Cup tally to 15 dismissals, which is the combined haul of Jofra Archer and Mitchell Starc, who have both played one more game than him. He has almost as many as his team-mates have taken in total, and more than anyone else.

While it was Amir who made the first decision, troubling Hashim Amla's front pad with a first-over indipper, it was Shadab who pressed the issue with two vital strikes in the space of four overs: first he had a slogging Quinton de Kock caught at midwicket, just shy of a third World Cup fifty, and then he bowled a clueless Aiden Markram, whose struggles against quality spin continued.

When Markram fell, South Africa were 103 for 3, needing well over seven an over, and Shadab had 2 for 17, including a wicket maiden. He ended with 3 for 50, having also had an increasingly desperate Rassie van der Dussen caught by Hafeez off a slogged top edge - his best figures of the tournament, and numbers which marked a timely turnaround. Before today, Shadab was averaging a whopping 53.9 in ODIs this year, and Pakistan's spinners were leaking 75.3 runs per wicket in the middle overs of this World Cup, comfortably the worst for any spin unit. But on a tufty, dry Lord's surface, both he and Imad found encouragement, and combined for 3 for 98 from 20.

South Africa found no respite at the other end. The spirit went out of their chase when Faf du Plessis' last stand was cut short on 63 by Amir. He had scrapped his way to fifty, but the required rate was nearing 8.5 thanks to the good work of the spinners, and something had to give. Sarfaraz brought Amir back, and with his third ball he ensured South Africa's captain would not go down with his ship, inducing a steepling top edge that just about touched the gloomy clouds that had settled in over St John's Wood before plummeting back down to be easily pouched by Sarfaraz.

David Miller, having tweaked his hamstring in the field earlier, hobbled to the crease in a cacophany of sound as Pakistan's fans, who packed the stands, sensed victory. He and van der Dussen swung gamely to add another 53 for the fifth wicket, but with every over the asking rate climbed.

With 15 overs to go and South Africa needing almost ten an over, all Pakistan had to do was stick to the basics, keep it tight, and let scoreboard pressure do the rest. But Pakistan aren't a team who like to make things simple for themselves, and several lapses in the field repeatedly let South Africa off the hook and back into the game. In total, no less than six chances were grassed as South Africa went down swinging - yet more evidence that Pakistan's standards in the field have dipped since Steve Rixon's departure.

But today, there was enough brilliance with the ball to make up for it. Shadab saw the back of van der Dussen, Miller missed a swipe at Shaheen Afridi and was bowled, and Wahab did the business to scythe through the lower order, Andile Phehlukwayo playing a lone hand with 46 not out. South Africa's campaign whimpered to a close, and Pakistan's was kept alive with a vital win.

There was also, for a change, plenty of brilliant batting to go around. Pakistan's batting has lacked a century-maker in this World Cup - unlike the teams that currently occupy the top four points on the table - and no one made a hundred today either, but a far more fluent performance from the top order ultimately gave the bowlers the sort of total they need to put the squeeze on in the second innings.

Imam kicked things off at a good lick, showing that his cover driving is in excellent working order and outscoring Fakhar Zaman in the early exchanges. Though neither reached fifty, Imran Tahir rolling back the years to dismiss both of them for 44 (including a remarkable one-handed stunner off his own bowling), Babar Azam was soon ticking, and helped to weather the loss of Mohammad Hafeez for 20.

But the innings really belonged to Haris, who walked to the crease with intent and batted with the same vim, bursting out of the blocks with two fours and a six in his first 10 balls. While Babar raised a mid-tempo, 61-ball fifty at the other end, Haris showed he had all the shots. Crisp through the off side, and particularly behind point, he was increasingly brutal to leg. A ramped uppercut brought him a 38-ball fifty - his first in World Cup cricket - and he just kept accelerating. A second six was chipped over Duminy's head at long off, while a third was slugged over midwicket.

Ngidi pulled things back a little with an exemplary final over, dismissing Wahab with his first ball and Haris with his fifth, but by then the damage had been done. Pakistan had a total which inspired them to believe, while South Africa's chase lacked belief almost throughout.

Van der Merwe's 75* off 39 blows Zimbabwe away

Published in Cricket
Sunday, 23 June 2019 11:29

Netherlands 199 for 6 (Van der Merwe 75*, Cooper 54) beat Zimbwbwe 150 (Ervine 59, Glover 3-20, Seelaar 3-28, Klaassen 3-38) by 49 runs

He walked in after Netherlands lost two wickets for three runs. He walked back with his highest T20I score and the biggest hand in a thumping victory. Roelof van der Merwe whacked an unbeaten 75 off only 39 balls to keep his team's perfect record against Zimbabwe in the ongoing limited-overs series.

Netherlands had beaten Zimbabwe 2-0 in the ODIs and showed no signs of letting up after they were put in to bat. Ben Cooper struck a rip-roaring 54 off 28 balls, with five fours and two sixes, but his efforts were thoroughly put to shade when van der Merwe came in and clattered Zimbabwe all round the park. The left-hander made 50 of his 75 runs in boundaries as Netherlands soared to 199 for 6.

Zimbabwe made a decent start to their chase with Craig Ervine making a half-century of his own, but having set themselves up at 105 for 4 at the end of 13 overs, their innings completely unraveled. They lost five wickets for only 21 runs as Pieter Seelaar and Fred Klaassen swung the game In quite decisive fashion. The tail hung around for a while but in the end they were bowled out 50 runs short of their target and one ball short of the full 20 overs.

Heading into the World Cup, it was England's batting that was perceived as their strength. It was a reasonable assumption, too, based on a succession of vast scores that had taken them to the No. 1 world ranking.

The reputation of their bowling attack was more modest. It looked sound, certainly, but appeared to lack the potential match-winners that studded that batting line-up. It sometimes seemed England were resigned to conceding vast scores, but confident their batsmen could score one more.

Now? Well, they have two bowlers in the top five wicket-takers in the World Cup. Their two opening bowlers have delivered the two fastest deliveries of the tournament. And they have two men in the top five of the bowling averages (with a minimum of eight wickets) and four men in the top 14 economy rates (with a minimum of 28 overs). Irrespective of the results - we'll come on to that - you could make a case arguing they are a stronger, better-balanced side.

Key to that improvement has been the emergence of Jofra Archer. Coming from a nation (Barbados) that has an incredible record of developing fast bowlers to a nation (England) with an incredible record of breaking them, his qualification has been received like a starving man coming upon an all you can eat restaurant. His arrival has not only given England's attack a cutting edge they have lacked for a long time but his partnership with Mark Wood, every bit as quick but shorter and therefore presenting different challenges, has given England a partnership to savour. They have, between them, 27 wickets in this tournament. Wood with 12 (at an average of 16.91 and an economy-rate of 4.75) and Archer with 15 (at an average of 17.93 and an economy-rate of 4.90). Nobody has more than him.

Underlining his potency and consistency, Archer has claimed three-wicket hauls in five of the six matches England have played in the tournament. He is dangerous with the new ball, dangerous when he comes back in mid-innings and as good as they have at the death. It is a fine effort for a man new to international cricket.

Tuesday offers another 'first' for Archer. He has yet to play against Australia in international cricket and he didn't bowl in the warm-up game against them in Southampton. This will be, then, a first serious introduction to the oldest rivalry in the international game.

Not that he is a stranger to many of the opposition. He has played with or against many of them in various T20 leagues and hopes that, despite his inexperience at international level, he can provide some tactical insight to his team. Notably, he and Ben Stokes played alongside Steve Smith at Rajasthan Royals. And while Archer describes Smith as a friend, it is clear that relationship will be shelved until the game is over.

"He's a really good guy," Archer says of Smith. "Cricket is cricket and I guess there is time to be friends after the game. But until the game is over, there will be nothing friendly about it.

"I didn't bowl at him much in the nets during the IPL. A lot of the guys probably don't want to face me in the nets. They like the side-arm and the throws.

"But when you play with people, you pick up on things you won't normally notice when you're just playing against them. So hopefully me and Stokes can get together - I think we might bowl together at some point - as we probably know what to do when he's in.

"We're pretty up for the game. The guys weren't too down about the last game. The guys were a bit more surprised than anything. We know that anything can happen on the day and Sri Lanka bowled really well. We just have to try to make wrong things right."

ALSO READ: Langer backs Australia's under-fire batting gameplans

So, with the bowling attack now offering similar match-winning potential to the batting line-up, why is it that England's progress is in jeopardy? Well, if this was South Africa we were talking about, you can guarantee the 'choke' word would have cropped up by now. And there was something about the nervous fielding at The Oval - a key ingredient in the defeat against Pakistan - and the nervous run-chase at Headingley - a key ingredient in the defeat against Sri Lanka - that supported such a theory. It might be remembered that England suffered an attack of stage fright in the Champions Trophy semi-final of 2017 and, perhaps, in the final of 2013, too.

Maybe that's not surprising. A huge amount has been invested in this England side: they have been charged, among other things, with inspiring a new generation of supporters to the game and reviving the sport in this country. To do that, they are expected not just to win, but to win with style and a smile. All of a sudden, the burden of expectation and hope from a nation that has never won this trophy - and which may well never have another realistic chance - is starting to weigh heavily. In that context, it's hardly surprising Jason Roy has been sent for a second scan on his hamstring. England are very keen to have him back for Sunday's match against India.

While Archer admits semi-final qualification has become "tighter than we would have liked" he has chosen to interpret England's current situation as a positive. As he sees it - as the entire camp see it - they no longer have a chance to dwell or dither: they simply have to seize the moment and fling themselves into every match with the positivity and confidence that took them to No. 1 in the rankings. It's less than a year since they defeated Australia 5-0 in an ODI series, after all, though this Australia looks substantially stronger.

"I think this is a chance to really see where our game is," Archer said. "They're at the top of the table and more than likely to go through. So if we get through, we should be OK to pretty much win anything. If we could beat them now and then have to play them again we'll be OK.

"We just need to keep playing the cricket we've been playing for the last couple of years and we'll be fine. There is no need to try and change anything after one loss."

He's probably right. And while this Australia team looks much improved from the one whitewashed last year, England didn't have Archer in the side then. This looks set to be a high-quality encounter with plenty of context. It is, in short, exactly what the World Cup should be about.

Rays reliever Castillo to IL, to be seen by docs

Published in Baseball
Sunday, 23 June 2019 12:51

The Tampa Bay Rays placed right-handed reliever Diego Castillo on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder and sent him back to Tampa to get checked out by team doctors.

Castillo blew his first save of the season on Thursday when he allowed a game-ending three-run home run by the Oakland Athletics' Matt Chapman and also took the loss on Saturday when he allowed two runs in the bottom of the seventh against Oakland.

Manager Kevin Cash told reporters that a physical issue came up in his outing on Saturday night.

Castillo leads the Rays with seven saves this season but is 1-6 with a 3.93 ERA.

The Rays recalled right-hander Hunter Wood from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Wood was 1-1 with a save and a 2.11 ERA in 13 appearances earlier this season for the Rays.

Holt leaves Red Sox game with tight hamstring

Published in Baseball
Sunday, 23 June 2019 12:54

BOSTON -- Red Sox infielder Brock Holt has left Sunday's game against Toronto in the fourth inning with left hamstring tightness.

Holt singled with one out in the second, advanced on Christian Vazquez's single and was cut down at the plate by left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s throw while trying to score on Jackie Bradley Jr.'s single.

Holt was replaced by Eduardo Nunez in the top of the fourth.

Holt has been Boston's hottest hitter since returning from the injured list on May 27, leading the team with a .357 average coming into Sunday.

He went on the IL on April 7 with a scratched right cornea and also injured his right shoulder while on a rehab assignment.

Braves' Soroka pulled out of game after HBP

Published in Baseball
Sunday, 23 June 2019 12:27

Atlanta Braves right-hander Mike Soroka was lifted from his start Sunday against the Washington Nationals after he was hit in the right arm by a pitch in the top of the third inning.

He stayed in the game to run the bases but was removed in the bottom of the third inning for pitcher Josh Tomlin.

The Braves said Soroka was removed for precautionary reasons.

Soroka allowed one hit and struck out a batter in the first two innings of the game.

He is 8-1 with a 2.12 ERA in 12 starts this season.

ESPN's Eddie Matz contributed to this report.

A field of 6000 runners take on the half-marathon in windy conditions

Tracy Barlow and Matt Clowes retained their JCP Swansea Half Marathon titles in windy conditions on Sunday.

Clowes was an impressive winner of the men’s race, claiming his seventh victory of 2019 in Wales’ second city.

His victory came ahead of over 6000 runners at Wales’ largest summertime road race.

The Cardiff man stopped the clock on 65:49, just over a minute shy of his 64:44 course record from last year but still nearly a minute clear of repeat runner-up Josh Griffiths of Swansea Harriers with 66:37.

The pair had shared the lead in the early stages with 10km passed in 30:40 but with Clowes making a decisive move soon after at the seven mile point.

He didn’t look back as the advantage grew in the final stages, scoring an impressive victory over 2017 British marathon champion Griffiths.

Peter Huck of Barrow & Furness AC was the third man home in 68:12, with Cardiff AC’s James Hunt also sub-70 minutes with 68:58.

“It was a good race today,” said Clowes. “Me and Josh ran together in the early stages and it felt very easy early on.

“As soon as the turn came it got really tough at about seven miles because the wind was really strong.

“I wanted to push for a course record but it just wasn’t the day to be honest.”

Commenting on forthcoming races, he added: “I’ve got Highgate in two weeks. I’m not really a track boy anymore but I’ll go there and try to run low 29 minutes.”

Barlow was just as emphatic in the women’s race, some way short of her 73:51 course record from 12 months ago with 75:39.

Since last year’s race Barlow has lowered her own best for the distance to an impressive 72:13 when finishing fifth at the 2018 Commonwealth Half Marathon Championships and as a member of the bronze medal-winning team, running for England.

Charlotte Taylor-Green of Bristol & West AC was the next fastest athlete on paper and lived up to her billing as a podium favourite by finishing second in 66:58. Naomi Mitchell of Reading AC was next home in third.

“I’m pleased to take the win,” said Barlow. “I’m disappointed with my time but seeing how everybody else faired with it, it was quite a tough race, quite a tough day in the office.

“I’ve got some shorter races coming up with my club Thames Valley Harriers so that will be the aim for the summer, to get some speed into my legs.”

Richie Powell stormed to his title defence in the wheelchair race with 65:03.

The Ebbw Vale based athlete who competes for DSW Sport Wales was pleased with his performance despite the wind, following a break from the sport with pneumonia.

The 17-year-old’s 1:45.36 improves a 33-year-old UK mark

Max Burgin’s British under-20 record of 1:45.36 in the 800m highlighted a superb weekend of action at the England Athletics Under-23 and Under-20 Championships in Bedford.

With an incredible display of front-running, the 17-year-old went through the bell in 52.02 and went on to break the 33-year-old UK junior record of 1:45.64 held by David Sharpe.

WATCH: U20M 800m final on runjumpthrow.com

After clocking a UK under-18 best of 1:46.80 in Loughborough last weekend, Burgin’s improvement was nothing short of sensational as he went to seventh on the world under-18 all-time rankings.

The European youth champion, who goes top of the UK 800m list overall for 2019, was one of several athletes to book their places on the team for either the European Athletics Under-20 Championships in Boras or European Under-23 Championships in Gavle, both taking place in Sweden next month.

Burgin, who will surely go to Boras as favourite, said: “I thought last week’s time was great and I just smashed that, so I’m very happy. I wasn’t expecting to run that fast – I did want a PB and that was my target going into the race.”

Morgan Lake retained her under-23 high jump title, happy to improve on her recent season’s debut performance with a 1.92m clearance. The former world junior champion had three failures at a would-be championship record height of 1.95m.

“I’m really happy,” Lake told the BBC. “I’m happy with the title. Not too happy with the height but still a progression from how I jumped last week… I think the big jumps are there.”

Adam Hague set a season’s best and meeting record of 5.55m as he secured his berth for Gavle with a win in the pole vault.

UK senior No.1 Harry Hughes duly secured the javelin title and his place in Gavle, although he was unhappy with his winning distance of 74.57m.

Callum Wilkinson opened up day two in Bedford with a championship best and PB of 40:29.32 in the 10,000m walk. Tom Gale’s 2.25m to win the high jump equalled the championship best.

Another championship record went to Amber Anning, who clocked 52.54 in winning the under-400m, going to fifth on the UK all-time junior rankings. Jacob Fincham-Dukes, who already has the Gavle standard with 8.00m, equalled the champion best in the long jump with 7.75.

Almost unnoticed just after Burgin’s exploits, Spencer Thomas used the same lead-from-the-gun tactics to clock a meeting record of 1:47.31 in the under-23 800m.

Shemar Boldizsar went to second on the European under-23 rankings for 200m with his PB-setting win of 20.65.

Naomi Ogbeta, currently ranked fourth under-23 in Europe, took her sixth consecutive England Athletics age-group title with 13.67m.

European age-group No.1 Alastair Chalmers, who last weekend improved his UK under-20 best to 50.07, clocked 50.58 to gain selection for Boras.

Another of those securing places for the Under-23s was Kristal Awuah, who completed a sprint double in winning the 100m in 11.61 into a headwind of 2.5m/sec, and the 200m in a PB of 23.24.

Thrower Divine Oladipo also successfully doubled, her 15.92m in the shot proving enough for Boras selection, while she also threw 51.28m in the discus.

Temi Ojorah, with a windy 13.08m in the triple jump and a high jump PB of 1.80m, also took home two golds.

Jack Draper's metaphorical locker is jam-packed with every tool he needs to make it to the very top of men's tennis. By his own admission, he just needs the key to unlock it.

This is a player who oozes self-belief, one with a head on his shoulders far wiser than his 17 years suggest.

At Wimbledon 12 months ago, he was an unknown prodigy. "An excited guy coming onto the scene," as he puts it.

Yet over the course of the 10 days that followed, he demonstrated his potential as Britain's next great talent on the tennis court, the start of the next generation who grew up watching and wanting to be like Andy Murray.

He had few expectations going into SW19, yet came out as the runner-up in the boys' singles, losing in three sets to the then-junior world number one Tseng Chun-hsin.

Winning, he says, would have been "outrageous". "I think I surprised even myself by getting to the final," he tells BBC Sport.

Yet when Draper grew frustrated at his performances during his run to the final last year, his reactions told a familiar tale.

"What is wrong with my brain?" he shouted in the direction of his coaching team when he spurned his seventh match point in his semi-final. A racquet was the victim of one of his flashes of a temper in the final.

A British tennis player with some fire in his belly. Where have we seen that before?

"Some of the stuff I was doing was almost out of character for me," he says. "All the excitement I was showing on court, it's a learning process as to how to manage my emotions."

But in losing the final, many said it could prove a blessing in disguise for then-16-year-old Draper.

Since the open era began in 1968, only four players have won the boys' title at Wimbledon before going on to win it at the senior level - Bjorn Borg, Pat Cash, Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer.

In the women's game, only two have done the double; Martina Hingis and Amelie Mauresmo.

But becoming a Wimbledon champion, at any level, brings with it a pressure like no other. Laura Robson was the last Briton to win a junior title on the Wimbledon grass but has never progressed past the fourth round in singles at any senior Grand Slam. Not that Draper is concerned, though.

"There is pressure being a young Brit because I have big shoes to fill in terms of Andy," says Draper.

"But I think the only pressure I feel is when I put it on myself, you can read into all the background noise but at the end of the day, it just comes down to the tennis and that is my priority.

"I think I surprised myself even by getting to the final, so to win the tournament would have been completely outrageous given my expectations.

"Even by making the final, people see you in a different light and expect bigger things from you, but I think those who win the junior slams and don't go on to win great things just haven't had great guidance around them.

"That's all part and parcel of reaching the top in the men's game and that is what separates the juniors from the seniors."

American Scott Humphries won the Wimbledon boys' title in 1994 - beating Mark Philippoussis in the final - but injuries spurned his chances of making it to the top of the men's game.

He reached the Australian Open semi-finals with men's doubles partner Justin Gimelstob before going on to coach the likes of Mardy Fish and Jelena Jankovic, and is now a real estate agent.

"Being a British tennis player, there is a lot of pressure on Jack to do well, especially at Wimbledon," Humphries, 43, told BBC Sport.

"As long as he's got a good head on his shoulders and good people around him, and if he has the game to make that jump, then he will have a lot of opportunities to do so."

'I believe I can reach the top' - the next chapter

Draper returns to Wimbledon after receiving a wildcard into the men's qualifiers, which start on Monday.

Not resting on his laurels, he immediately made the jump onto the senior circuit after his run to the boys' final last year. But it's been far from smooth sailing ever since.

It had started so well. Losing at the All England Club gave Draper's season the kick start it needed - he went on to win three Futures tournaments in five weeks in September and October.

The first of those, in Nottingham, saw him become the youngest British Futures winner since Murray 15 years previously.

"I had a really good transition into the men's game," says Draper, who benefits from being on the LTA's Pro Scholarship Programme alongside the likes of Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter. "My confidence was sky high."

But in November, a "freak accident" saw him break a finger on his playing hand, ruling him out of action for two months. After getting over that, tendonitis struck in both his hip and his wrist.

"I think the problem was after I broke my finger and was off court, my body grew again," he says.

"It's been hard for my body to catch up with the demands of the tennis, especially at this point in my career and my age.

"It's been a tough six months, but I think I've learnt a lot about myself and my body. It's really important going forward that I use the heartache of being injured so much to fuel my fire."

He's certainly doing that. Earlier this month, Draper secured his maiden ATP Challenger win in the Nottingham first round having not played since April, while he was awarded a qualifying wildcard at Queen's but lost to Alexander Bublik in three sets.

He broke into the world top 1,000 after his Nottingham triumph last September and is currently ranked 507th, but Draper has his sights set on becoming one of the very best.

"I totally believe I can reach the top. I think in sport, in tennis, you can surprise yourself with the amount of work you put in and I definitely feel like I've got everything sitting there waiting to unlock," he says.

"I'm really excited for the future, obviously there will be ups and downs. I totally believe that I can go all the way."

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Website: www.idig.com
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