Jack Draper 'not meeting other athletes' at Olympics after making costly mistake

Jack Draper revealed that he made a crucial error when arriving at his first Olympic Games. The Brit got off to a winning start, beating 2016 bronze medallist Kei Nishikori in the first round of the men’s singles tennis event.

But he’s already losing another competition that has cost him the opportunity to meet other Team GB athletes in the Olympic village.

Draper was none the wiser about the pin-trading tradition at the games, where competitors receive badges symbolising their nation and swap them to collect as many as possible.

Andy Murray has been obsessed with the competition all week and has already amassed a collection of around 60 pins. But Draper has been left out after leaving all his GB emblems at home.

“I didn’t know about it but there’s like a pin culture, you know?” the British No. 1 said after his first-round win on Sunday. “I left all my pins at home because I thought they were just like, I didn’t know what they were.

“I thought they were just to give to family members and stuff but then we obviously came and everyone is swapping their pins and I’ve got no pins and it’s difficult. So I’ve not been sort of meeting other athletes really.”

While Draper’s error has cost him the chance to interact with other sporting professionals, he has met a few British athletes. He added: “But I’ve got to see the GB gymnasts, hockey team.

“We’ve got an amazing lodge that we go to which is the GB lodge so we’re very fortunate to have our own space there and some good food and stuff like that because at the village it can get pretty crazy there. It’s an interesting experience but it definitely seems a lot busier than it would be if it’s just an individual tournament.”