The pair were involved in a clunky exchange during a match at Queens
Louis Rees-Zammit caught up with another British sporting hero on Tuesday, as he continued to enjoy a bit of down-time from his ongoing bid to crack the NFL.
The former Wales rugby international briefly met up with tennis star Jack Draper, on the eve of the British number’s last 16 victory over Alexei Popyrin at Queens.
The meeting, which appears to unfold during a match involving current world number two Carlos Alcaraz, just so happened to be caught in front of the cameras, with the pair seen to partake in a slightly awkward exchange.
“Are you still doing the NFL stuff?” Draper asks shortly after meeting the 23-year-old, before adding: “Are you just back for the summer?”
“Yeah we did like a ten-week training camp,” the Welshman replies. “Back for four weeks and then straight into it.”
Draper than asks if the current Jacksonville Jaguars prospect likes tennis, to which he replies: “Yeah I f****** love it man.”
“Do you play? Or not really?” is the next line of questioning, with Rees-Zammit revealing he plays table tennis.
“Where do you live?” is the next rather leftfield enquiry from Draper, who will take on Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-finals on Friday.
“In Cardiff, but I’m in Florida. I’m in Jacksonville,” is the response.
Referencing Alcaraz, Draper then asks: “What do think of ol’ Carlos?”
“He’s pretty decent. He’s no you, though,” Rees-Zammit answers politely.
Draper then finds out more about the position his new pal plays, before then stating, “I need to get into it [NFL] a little bit.”
“Yeah, it’s tough because we don’t ever hear of it over here do we?” Rees-Zammit sympathises. “Like, properly. Not until they come and play the games here. So it’s hard to, like, pick up.”
The conversation quickly moves on as the former Gloucester star is asked: “What do you think when you’ve got one of those f****** guys coming towards you at like 100 mph?”
“I just don’t think,” he responds.
Draper then goes to carry out press duties, before asking his new friend to message him on Instagram as they pose for a photo together.
“It’s nice to properly meet you,” he signs off.
