Britain's got talent: Jack Draper definitely maybe coming into his own
The 22-year-old lefty reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open tennis earlier this month, climbing to a career-best No. 20 ranking little by little. The big music fan is motivated to make sure his career doesn't fade away.
Tennis
Jack Draper has managed to get his hands on some prized tickets - to see English band Oasis next year on their sold-out tour of Great Britain.
But the way he’s playing tennis right now, he just might be too busy to sneak out to Wembley Stadium for their reunion gig.
“It was incredibly difficult to find but I had a couple of contacts which might have helped me,” Oasis fan Draper told Olympics.com on Thursday (26 September), after dispatching Italy’s Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the Japan Open 2024 in Tokyo.
“But the hard thing is I don't know if I'm going to be in the UK when they're playing. I think it's the 25th of July in London but I'm not sure if I'm going to the States next year so we'll see. If not, then it is what it is.”
Jack Draper: "I wasn't mature enough"
What a difference a year has made for Draper. A year ago at the Japan Open, the Englishman was ranked in triple digits and had to qualify for the main draw, only to go out in the opening round to Alex de Minaur.
Fast forward to 2024 and Draper is now ranked a career-high No. 20, No. 1 in Britain. The left-hander is coming off his first Grand Slam semi-final appearance at the US Open - only the fourth British man to do so in the Open Era - where he lost only to world No. 1 and eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
Draper, who is the top seed this week in Tokyo, said the string of injuries (abdominal, shoulder) and undesirable results last season were a slap in the face that made the 22-year-old come to his senses as his peers like his good friend Sinner found success.
“I was around 40 in the world for about a year and a half. Losing a lot of, you know, I felt like I was on the tour playing well and then obviously I kept on having these injuries.
“I think part of it was obviously physical and not being ready. You haven't put in a lot of the hard work in the gym and hard work on court that I needed to do, but also mentally as well - like I wasn't mature enough.
“I wasn't fully invested in my tennis and I think after I got injured last year and having those injuries and having to go back to the Challenger Tour and watching all these amazing young players have success at the highest level, it really motivated me to want to be better and want to change as a person.
“I think that period at the back end of last year, stuff really made me realize I have to work insanely hard if I want to genuinely be a contender for big titles and for important matches.
“So I'm really proud of the progress I've made in the year and I'd like to keep on following my path.”
Jack Draper, the heartthrob
Draper’s idol Andy Murray, long the face of British men’s tennis, put down his racket for good after the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Draper has no illusions as to how high two-time Olympic champion Murray’s bar was and isn’t about to anoint himself as the three-time major winner’s successor just yet. But he’s determined to give it a run for his money.
Asked if he was prepared to fill Murray’s shoes, Draper said of the 37-year-old Scotsman, “It's a hard question because obviously Andy, in my opinion, is one of the greatest players of all time.
“He’s been in an era with Novak (Djokovic), (Roger) Federer, and (Rafael) Nadal and I think to try and emulate what he's done, for me that would be unrealistic.
“I'll work hard and I'll do my best, everything possible, to achieve my potential. Whatever that looks like, that may be as well as Andy or it might be nowhere near as well as Andy.
“But the one thing I know is that I'll give my all and I'll try my best. I'm incredibly grateful to have a legend in Andy to look up to since a young age. I think what he's achieved in the game is legendary so we'll see. We’ll see what happens.”
Reaching the last four of the US Open has emboldened Draper, who, while not guaranteeing a Grand Slam title, can certainly smell one now.
As the tour swings through Asia down the stretch, he has an outside shot at qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, contested by the world’s top eight players. Draper is currently 18th in men's singles.
“I think it's been stepping stones for me,” he said. “I got injured a couple of years running and I didn't really get to play an awful lot of tournaments and I didn't get to be a tennis player as in traveling the world week in, week out and experience all these things.
“So a lot of things - even though my name's been around for a while - it's kind of new to me. Obviously, it gives me a lot of confidence, what I did in New York, and I look to keep on progressing physically and mentally.
“If I get that stuff right, there's no reason why my tennis isn't good enough to compete with the best players in the world.”