Jack Draper Aims to ‘Shake Up’ Top Players Following Significant Victory

Jack Draper has become only the fourth British man since 2009—following Andy Murray, Dan Evans, and Cameron Norrie—to secure an ATP 500 title. A year prior, Jack Draper admitted to feeling angry. The young British player, who had long been considered a future top talent in tennis, had been compelled to return to the second-tier ATP Challenger Tour due to further injury problems. By autumn 2024, his feelings have significantly changed. On Sunday, the 22-year-old left-handed player expressed immense pride after claiming his most significant title yet at an ATP 500 tournament in Vienna. This achievement propelled him to 15th in the men’s rankings, a new career high, as of Monday. “I’ve got this inner belief now,” Draper stated soon after defeating Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the Erste Bank Open final. He added, “I’ll go again next year with even bigger motivation to really shake up those guys at the top of the game – the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.” BBC Sport examines the transformation of Draper’s career during the last 12 months and potential areas for further improvement. Last October, at the Challenger event in Bergamo, Draper had just re-entered the world’s top 100, a crucial benchmark on the professional tours that allows direct entry into Grand Slam tournaments. He was reflecting on the “brutal” reality of a sport where, after beginning to fulfill his potential, he encountered another setback due to a shoulder injury. Draper commented, “I was 40 in the world, I got injured and my ranking completely dropped. I was back playing Challengers and I felt angry.” He continued, “But I knew if I could get my body and my mind in a good place, my tennis is good enough to compete with the best players in the world.” This year, he has proven this through: securing his first ATP Tour title, a 250 event in Stuttgart; advancing to his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open; entering the top 20 of the ATP world rankings; and becoming only the fourth British man since 2009 to win an ATP 500 title. “It’s been a long year with lots of ups and downs,” Draper remarked. He added, “But winning my first title, then the US Open, have been huge in really believing that I belong.” He concluded, “It’s been a snowball effect since then.” Although Draper’s talent has always been recognized, his physique required time to build the resilience necessary to fully utilize it. This year, Draper has participated in 58 ATP Tour matches, which is significantly the highest number of his career to date. In his initial years on the professional tour, he was frequently hampered by physical ailments, including heat-related illness and cramps, which often led to mid-match retirements. Now in better physical condition and experiencing fewer injuries, Draper is reaping the rewards of his diligent efforts. His renewed collaboration with physical trainer Steve Kotze, whom Draper refers to as “one of the best in the world,” has been a key factor in his achievements. His agility on the court in Vienna was particularly striking. Draper explained, “When an athlete gets stronger it makes it easier to flow on court.” He further stated, “When you mix that with my desire to chase down every ball and my strength behind the ball, things get better.” Earlier this year, Draper added Wayne Ferreira, a former Wimbledon quarter-finalist, to his coaching staff with the aim of enhancing his serve. However, this collaboration lasted only a few months and did not immediately yield the serving improvements Draper had sought. “I made a few changes and it didn’t really work,” Draper commented. He added, “We have worked hard to get my rhythm sorted and I’ve found a real ‘golden way’ of executing it now.” When Draper successfully lands his first serves, employing a combination of variety, accuracy, and pace, it becomes a formidable weapon that his opponents struggle to counter. Securing 18 out of 19 first-serve points (94.7%) in the initial set against Khachanov established the foundation for a notable win, which he ultimately achieved after a closely contested second set where this statistic significantly decreased. This season, only three ATP Tour players—Grigor Dimitrov (79.4%), Sinner (79.1%), and Taylor Fritz (79%)—have achieved a higher percentage of first-serve points won than Draper (78.6%). Draper’s ongoing challenge, as demonstrated in Vienna, involves consistently increasing the number of first serves he lands. His first-serve percentage of 58.2% places him 77th on the tour this season, and he ranks 51st for points won on his second serve. Draper stated, “[My first serve] has really developed in the last month or so.” He continued, “I have found what works for me, I’ve worked really hard for it. I am really confident and hopefully can keep that consistency going.” Draper acknowledges that further improvements are necessary if he intends to compete with the top players. His physical conditioning requires continued attention, and the anxiety that has adversely affected him in certain crucial matches needs to be addressed. Following his straight-set loss to Sinner in the US Open semi-finals, during which he vomited three times, Draper pledged to “look into” the causes of his nervousness. Draper remarked, “If I can keep on improving physically, and getting more experience at this higher level against top players, I’m going to give myself a shot at competing with those guys.” He concluded, “But there’s a lot of work to do.”