Jack Draper reveals he ‘takes a lot of inspiration’ from Carlos Alcaraz
Jack Draper has spoken about the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune, after a ‘frustrating’ season that has been disrupted by injuries.
Draper has dealt with a variety of injuries throughout the year, with a shoulder problem forcing him to miss his home major of Wimbledon.
And the 21-year-old has spoken about the mixed emotions he felt watching his fellow Next-Gen stars, highlighting the Wimbledon final between Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, “There’s two sides to it. I am happy for them because they are great young players and I understand how much you have to put into the sport, especially at an early age.
“I have huge respect and admiration for what they are doing. On the other side I remember when I was injured with my shoulder and I was watching Alcaraz play Djokovic in the Wimbledon final and it was frustrating to see a young player out there achieving amazing things, because of the competitor I am.”
It’s been tough to have to withdraw from many tournaments so far this year. I’m working hard to come back stronger and I’m looking forward to competing very soon !
— jack draper (@jackdraper0) May 7, 2023
While he spoke about the bittersweet feeling of seeing Alcaraz win the Wimbledon title, the Brit was also full of praise for the world No.2.
“Some people look at that and make excuses and say ‘you know, he’s lucky because he’s in that position or whatever’, but I understand he is in that position because he has put a hell of a lot of work in and he has done all the right things for many years,” explained Draper.
“I think I can take a lot of inspiration and learn from a lot of things that these guys are doing, and really that fuels my fire to be in that position as well.”
He added, “It’s going to be interesting in the next couple of years if I can stay injury free and do all the right things to see if I can get up there with those guys.”
Due to Draper’s various fitness struggles he fell down to a low as No.123 in August, however the British No.3 has since risen back inside the top 70 after reaching his first ATP final in Sofia.
Draper will look to continue his rise back up the rankings in 2024, when he begins his season in Adelaide, but first he is set to play at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown exhibition event in London next week.
Inside the baseline…
Jack Draper’s potential is very clear, but there is a big question mark over whether his body is going to be able to keep up with the trajectory up the rankings. Draper should be able to reach the top 20 with his game, but will need to be able to play more consistently in 2024 if that is going to be the case.
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