Great Britain’s Jack Draper, 20, failed to beat Novak Djokovic when they met at Wimbledon last year but benefited in other ways as that match gave him the clear picture of how it feels to be on the big stage and what level is required against the top players.
In his Wimbledon debut, Draper actually made a good start to the match as he won the first set before Djokovic stormed back to win 4-6 6-1 6-2 6-2. This season, Draper has won four Challenger titles and he is enjoying a career-high ranking of No.
99 in the world. On Monday at the Queen’s Club, Draper upset Taylor Fritz 6-3 6-2 to reach the last-16. “It gave me good insight into a top-level tournament and a player like Novak. The match against him has definitely given me more confidence and a bit of inspiration this year,” Draper told the ATP website.
“But ultimately, I know my tennis is good enough, it is just about getting everything else right. Being in Miami, Madrid and watching top players has given me a lot to learn from. Having the support from Dan, Andy and Cam and seeing what they are doing on Tour is very motivating for me.
I feel with their support I can go a long way as well”.
Draper aims big things
20-year-old Draper has won several titles on the Challenger Tour this year and now he is hoping to start winning on the main level. Draper is setting a very high standard for himself as he hopes to emulate seventh-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and start making strong results at a very young age.
Alcaraz, 19, has won two Masters titles this year and he also reached the French Open quarterfinal. “Alcaraz is very special. I see him as a benchmark kind of player,” Draper said. “That is who I am judging myself against.
His standards, his work rate and the way he plays. Watching someone like that you can learn a lot and I hope one day I will be competing for big titles against him.”
