Jack Draper cracked up the Queen’s crowd with a crafty dig at Andy Murray after making a winning start to his grass-court campaign on Tuesday. Draper demolished Jenson Brooksby 6-3 6-1 to breeze into the round of 16, where he will meet Australian competitor Alexei Popyrin.

Fresh from beating Brooksby in straight sets, Draper was asked what it meant to get his first win on a court named ‘Andy Murray Arena’. And he had the whole venue chuckling when he responded: “Can’t get rid of this guy!”

Draper also dropped a possible hint about what would be a hugely popular coaching link-up with his fellow Brit, saying ‘maybe I’ll see him soon’. Murray has been back on the coaching market since parting ways with Novak Djokovic last month, and although there is speculation that he is not eager to make an immediate return, many expect his eventual comeback to involve working with one of Britain’s top stars.

“Andy is an unbelievable guy,” Draper continued. “He’s someone I’m incredibly inspired by. I wouldn’t be where I am without him. I remember coming here when I was younger, watching him winning these tournaments. He’s just an incredible person to get to know.

“I definitely miss seeing him on the tour. But at the same time, hopefully I’ll get to see him around. Who knows? Maybe I’ll see him soon. Thank you, Andy. This court deserves to be named after you, for sure.”

Draper only needed 77 minutes to dispatch Brooksby on a sweltering afternoon at Queen’s, and he did not even face a break point during the match. The conditions could have made life difficult for the home favourite but he made a point of staying cool and hydrated, applying ice to his neck at every changeover.

A solid run at Queen’s would be a valuable confidence-builder for Draper, who has never been beyond the second round of his home Grand Slam, Wimbledon, which gets underway at the end of the month.

The 23-year-old has established himself as a genuine top-level contender this season. He was briefly up to fourth in the ATP world rankings, although he has now dropped back down to sixth following Taylor Fritz‘s win in Stuttgart over the weekend.

Since the start of the year, Draper has enjoyed runs to the finals of the Qatar Open and the Madrid Open, and he went all the way at Indian Wells in March to notch the biggest tournament win of his career thus far.