Draper, Boulter, Raducanu lead British contingent at US Open in post-Murray era
The main British focus will be on Jack Draper, Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu at next week’s US Open as grand-slam life after Andy Murray begins in earnest.
Draper will be seeded in the men’s draw and his run to the fourth round last year shows he is a threat on the American hard courts.
He comes into the tournament on the back of a promising run to the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open last week, but finds himself having to repair his reputation.
Draper has been accused of cheating after a controversial match point in his last-16 tie with Felix Auger-Aliassime where he appeared to hit the ball into the ground at the net before it looped over.
The umpire Greg Allensworth ruled it was a legal shot but Draper has attracted criticism for not conceding the point, with players and ex-players wading into the debate, saying the British number one would have known it was a foul point.
He was subsequently well beaten in his next match so his mental strength will be tested to see how he responds in front of a raucous New York crowd.
Boulter is the women’s British number one and has the most consistency with two WTA Tour titles this year.
But she has not lit up the grand slams, having not got past the second round so far in 2024, so that is something she will want to put right.
Raducanu has history in New York, with her 2021 title one of the greatest sporting stories of all time.
Her career has stalled since then due to injuries, but she had promising results in the British grasscourt swing.
