Jack Draper ‘is definitely a top 10 player’ claims Patrick Mouratoglou
Jack Draper has been heavily praised by the current coach of Naomi Osaka, Patrick Mouratoglou, who believes that the Brit can challenge at the top of the game after winning the biggest title of his career in Vienna.
Draper beat the in-form Karen Khachanov, 6-4 7-5, in the ATP 500 final on Sunday to join a Vienna winners list of names that includes Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
As a result, the 22-year-old is now at a career-high ranking of World No.15 and Mouratoglou has backed Draper to continue rising.
“I think he’s a great player. Last year when he won Ultimate Tennis Showdown [UTS], I think he played incredible tennis the whole three days,” the former coach of Serena Williams told Sky Sports.
“I feel that now he’s much more mature in terms of his game, his game plan, his game style. Everything looks much more mature. And when you see him win in Vienna, you don’t feel he plays out of his mind. It’s his level. So I think he improved a lot this year.”
The Frenchman added, “I think the big challenge for him now is to stay injury-free because he’s been injured a lot for someone so young. If he manages to stay injury-free then I think he’s definitely a top-10 player and a player that has huge weapons and potentially has no limits.”
The last two men to win on their Vienna debuts…
2014 – @andy_murray 🏆
2024 – @jackdraper0 🏆#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/d3vnzdWJdD— LTA (@the_LTA) October 28, 2024
Although Draper has had to deal with various injury struggles and illnesses in 2024, he has played more than ever before having already competed in 57 matches on the main tour this year.
The London-born player has won 36 of those 57 matches, that includes reaching the US Open semi-final, and Mouratoglou has explained the areas of Draper’s game that he believes have improved this year.
“I feel that his backhand is much better,” said Mouratoglou. “Before, his backhand was not hurting the opponent much. I saw him play in Vienna, and I thought he’s taking the ball much earlier with the backhand, and he can hit the ball full, taking the ball early.
“So he can hurt players a lot with his backhand that is quite flat. And I feel he has a clear game plan. His game plan, the way he should play, his style is very, very clear now, which was not that obvious before. He’s very solid and he’s very disciplined in what he’s doing. But I think that’s a major improvement he’s made this year.”
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Draper will look to continue his momentum later today, when he takes on fellow 22-year-old Jiri Lehecka in the first round of the Paris Masters.
Inside the baseline…
Jack Draper has had a very impressive 2024 season, given that he began the year ranked outside the top 60, and he really showcased the best of his abilities in Vienna, dropping only one set against some very strong opponents. Draper definitely has all the abilities to become a top 10 player, and could potentially go even further. The main thing for the Brit is staying fit and healthy, as he has been seen struggling in certain hot conditions on multiple occasions in his young career.
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