Emotional Jack Draper admits he ‘nearly stopped playing tennis’ after US Open breakthrough
Jack Draper served up a hugely emotional interview after he marched into his first Grand Slam quarter-final with a sensational performance against Tomas Mahac.
Draper has always relished playing in New York, where the fast courts help his style, and he will now be dreaming big, having yet to drop a set in his opening four matches.
His form is bringing back memories of Emma Raducanu, who famously flew under the radar to win the tournament in 2021, and Draper will be hoping to emulate her in the next week.
While that still remains a tough task, arguably this is his best chance yet of winning a grand slam, with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic already out and questions still remaining over Jannik Sinner following his anti-doping scandal.
He will have to overcome much bigger hurdles than the one Czech player Machac presented as Draper swept to a 6-3 6-1 6-2 victory, underpinned by a run of 16 games out of 19.
Whatever happens next he is the first British man to reach the last eight since Andy Murray in 2016.
The emotion of the moment clearly got to him as he spoke to the Sky Sports Tennis team in New York, as he reflected on the injuries that hampered his progress in recent years.
“I’ve been through a lot the last few years,” said Draper.
“With injuries, there were times when I was going to stop playing tennis. I remember those moments all the time and they make new experiences easier for me.
“I feel confident in myself and I’ve got amazing people around me to support me and show me the way.
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“I’ve always been lucky throughout my years to have amazing coaches and they have all been outstanding with me. As a player and a person, I wouldn’t be here without them.
“Justin Sherring, Ryan Jones and my coach now James Trotman. Everyone wants the best for me. I know they have my best interests at heart and that’s tough to find in professional sport because there are a lot of people out there who are there for themselves.
“As an athlete playing an individual sport and with how relentless tennis is emotionally, it’s so important to have amazing people around you.”
Draper will now play his first Grand Slam quarter-final, with the ease of his victory against Mahac sending him into the last eight in a confident mood.
“The last few times we played it was a battle,” he added. Today, I played at a decent level and he was maybe a little bit off his best.
“I had to stay strong in the point, and it’s just amazing to play out here. I lost last year here in the same round, so it’s nice to come back and do better.
“I just need to keep going now. I love playing here in New York. I’ll go for it again, I love playing on these big stages.”
Draper’s promise has been bubbling under the tennis surface over the last few years, but now he is exploding on one of the biggest stages in the sport.
This is not the birth of a new tennis superstar, but merely confirmation that the ‘next big thing’ in the British game is ready to make his mark at the very top.
