LONDON – Some of Britain’s top tennis players are avoiding election talk like double faults Wimbledon.
Open polls Thursday morning, the UK’s first national election in almost five years, but Britain’s rising stars are taking up tennis at the All England Club.
Jack Draper says he has no interest in politics. Katie Boulter doesn’t want to talk about it. A smiling Emma Raducanu stated on the eve of the elections that she “didn’t even know it was tomorrow”.
Draper, 22, who is the highest-ranked men’s singles player in Britain, gave a one-word answer – “No” – when asked if he is interested in politics.
On a big day for British players on Thursday, Draper faces Cameron Norrie in a second-round match. He did not plan to follow any election coverage.
“I mean, it’s a really busy time for us tennis players. Not much TV watching. There’s not much time to think about it,” he said on Tuesday. “Obviously it’s very important, so we’ll see.”
Boulter, Britain’s top-ranked women’s singles player, dismissed some election-related questions.
“To be honest, I’m here to focus on tennis. I’m not necessarily sure what the correlation is between the two,” she said Saturday at a pre-tournament press conference. “Of course it is a great moment for our country, but I will cross that bridge a little later, away from the tennis courts.”
On Tuesday, 27-year-old Boulter had a similar response when asked whether she would vote ahead of Thursday’s match against compatriot Harriet Dart.
Hundreds of thousands of people have had vote by mail voting before in-person voting begins on Thursday. Polls close at 10pm (9pm GMT) on Thursday night.
Now 21, Raducanu was ineligible to vote in the 2019 national elections.
The 2021 US Open champion was asked about the election at her press conference after defeating Elise Mertens 6-1 6-2 on Wednesday. She was asked if she would try to vote in the morning and if she would follow the election until the evening.
The transcript of her response said she was smiling when she responded, “No. I think I’ll sleep later and then I’ll train. I didn’t even know it was tomorrow, to be honest. Thank you for letting me know.
At a pre-tournament press conference on Saturday, she indicated that she was aware of the election, although she gave no opinion on the matter.
“I’ve been living under a rock a bit the last few weeks,” she said. “I’ve just been focusing on my tennis. I didn’t really have time to do much else. I channeled all my energy into this. Yes, the elections are happening. The same happens with euros. I think it brings a lot of fun and brings everyone together. I’ll be following this tomorrow afternoon.
Andy Murray, the two-time Wimbledon champion who will be on court in doubles on Thursday, received some criticism in 2014 when he flagged his support for Scottish independence just hours before the polls opened. That referendum failed.
British player Liam Broady, who has always been outspoken on political issues, said he voted by post. He is from Stockport, just outside Manchester.
“I don’t think there are almost any players who are as politically inclined as I am, or if they are, they keep their cards close to their chest,” Broady, 30, told the Associated Press. “It’s not something that I see, to be honest, talked about very often, which I think is probably a good thing too. Players treat each other like players and that’s it.”
The Conservative Party has been in power since 2010 and the Labor Party is expected to win on Thursday.
“It’s a lot like what’s happening in the United States right now — you’re picking the best from a bad bunch,” Broady said. “I think that’s why a lot of my generation and people younger than me have become a little disillusioned with politics. It seems like everyone is the same now, things don’t really change.
“It’s a bipartisan problem in the UK at the moment and obviously with the Labor Party taking such a central position it seems like there aren’t many different options.”
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