Jack Draper interview: Inspired by his childhood idol Murray and taking on “benchmark” Alcaraz
The 21-year-old says beating Murray in Indian Wells was a huge confidence boost so early in his career
Jack Draper, US Open 2022 – © Javier Garcia/Shutterstock/SIPA
There are times when Jack Draper still has to pinch himself as he jets around the world in his first full year on the ATP Tour, rubbing shoulders with his idols, visiting new places. The 21-year-old has already broken the top 50 and beaten his childhood hero Andy Murray and now he has designs on the top.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters on Monday, Draper recorded his first clay-court win of the season, a fine 6-3, 7-5 win over Sebastian Baez setting up a second-round clash with Hubert Hurkacz. With a big serve, powerful groundstrokes and solid all-round game, the Briton looks poised to take over the mantle as Britain’s No 1 from Murray in the coming years.
As Draper discussed his progress in the bowels of the Monte-Carlo Country Club on Monday, Murray was losing to Alex de Minaur in a performance he later described as “awful”. Murray will enjoy better times again this year, surely, but Draper’s star is firmly on the rise, having recovered from the abdominal injury he suffered in Indian Wells.
Overcoming imposter syndrome
“That’s the thing, you’ve watched these tournaments so much when you when you’re younger and all of a sudden you’re here and you sort of feel a little bit of imposter syndrome, because all of a sudden I’m here, I’m walking around the changing rooms, (with) all these guys,” Draper said.
“I’ve only been on tour for eight months, so it’s not easy to get used to. And I’ve never been here before, but it’s it’s an amazing tournament. It’s weird. I asked Cam (Norrie) and (other) players, ‘It’s first round, will the crowd be like full and stuff?’ I’m still used to playing like lower level events where I’m thinking no one’s going to show up. It’s an incredible tournament and it kind of gives you more motivation when you see big crowds and and the amazing players that you’re playing against. So it is a first and it is quite a lot to take in, but I enjoy it.”
Beating Murray in Indian Wells had bigger impact than he realised
It’s just 10 months since Jack Draper broke into the top 100 but the young Briton has been making waves on the Tour ever since. He took newly-crowned Carlos Alcaraz to three sets in Basel in 2022 and then this year, having broken the top 40 in January, he beat Andy Murray in Indian Wells.
The reaction back home was predictable, with many hailing the “changing of the guard”, just as they had when Murray had beaten Tim Henman i- also in Basel – in 2005. For Draper, it was undoubtedly a big moment.
“I think it didn’t really hit me until I got home from that trip that, you know, I’d beaten the likes of Evo (Dan Evans), and Andy,” he said. “Andy’s my childhood idol, you know, I watched him from when I was young. This sport is kind of crazy because you’re playing week in, week out, and you don’t often get to reflect. But I was obviously very proud of myself. Andy’s a great player and someone that I always looked up to you so to beat him again is a real confidence boost.
“It’s one match and I respect everything that Andy’s achieved – he’s one of the greats of the game, and I’m aware he’s got a metal hip so is the win that good? I don’t know (laughing). But he’s still a top 50 player, he’s still beating great players week in, week out and he’s still playing at a very high level himself. It was great to come through that match and I’m sure we’ll have many battles in the next couple of years.
On Alcaraz: “I want to be able to compete with him and beat him”
The ab injury in Indian Wells stopped Draper from being 100 percent fit for a fourth-round meeting with Carlos Alcaraz, the Spaniard who went on to win the title and briefly re-take the No 1 ranking. Draper quit at the end of the first set but has been as enthralled as anyone watching Alcaraz do what he’s been doing.
“Yeah, it was a bit of a shame in Indian Wells. I hurt my ab at the end of the Andy match and that was obviously going to affect me. But I think even if I was OK and fit, the level that was coming at me that day on the court was something that I hadn’t really experienced much on a tennis court before,” he said.
“I have huge respect for him. He’s obviously an incredible player. What he’s done already in tennis is is pretty, pretty incredible, not not only just his tennis, but his physicality, his mentality. I see him as more of a benchmark of that’s where I want to be week in, week out. I want to be able to compete with him and hopefully, win against him. Full respect, he’s an incredible player. And I don’t think you can quite appreciate it until you play against him.”
Draper’s game well-suited to demands of clay
In his first match on clay this year, Draper was impressive, coping well with the depth and consistency of Baez, who pushed him hard, especially in the second set. The big lefty serve came in handy on break points for Draper, who saved 11 of the 12 he faced, and the way he played suggested that clay could be a good surface for him in the future.
“I’m solid from the baseline, I think I back myself and my movement,” he said. “I haven’t played on the surface much but a lot of it is about knowing how to move and being in what positions and respecting the ball that you receive. I think my forehand is heavy on the surface and the serve can only help. So I think I can be really effective on on this kind of surface. And you know I look forward to seeing how I how I improve and our progress on it. “
