Jack Draper is ‘left-handed Andy Roddick’, has modelling contract, and nightmare task of facing Rafael Nadal in Australian Open first round
Jack Draper will be hoping 2023 will be the year he becomes a top-20 tennis player, but that task was made a little harder when the Australian Open draw came out.
Draper is ranked 40th in the world and therefore just outside the place he’d need to be to be seeded at Grand Slams.
The British number three ended up being drawn against defending champion, and 22-time Grand Slam winner, Rafael Nadal.
The 21-year-old was one of the breakthrough stars of 2022, rising from 265th in the world to the top 50.
His potential has been known for a while as he made the Wimbledon boys final back in 2018.
Draper then first made a name for himself on the pro tour when he played Novak Djokovic in the first round of Wimbledon in 2021, winning a set off the eventual champion.
Now his trajectory suggests he’ll be competing deep in top tournaments soon.
Draper seems ideally suited for the rigours of top level tennis, at 6ft3in and an explosive serve.
He’s even been called a ‘left-handed Andy Roddick’ by . Oh, and also has a separate modelling contract with IMG.
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However, his mind is fully focused on breaking into the top 20 in the world this year.
“Me and my coach said this year I want to be playing top 20 tennis,” he said.
“Whether I finish rank 30 in the world or rank 50, if I’m playing top 20 tennis then I’m going to start being higher and higher ranked.
“It’s just important I have a growth mindset when it comes to these things. I do think having a rankings goal is good, but if you pay too much emphasis on that then it can sometimes be a bad things.”
He added: “My goals for the last few years is stay injury free. That’s my biggest one as I know when I’m on the court I do have the ability to play good tennis if I’m there consistently.
“The second one is to just become a better player on be on that journey. If I put in all that hard work and work things out and learn a lot of lessons on the court then it will give me the best opportunity to rise up the rankings.”
Although being handed a draw against Nadal on paper is a nightmare, there is opportunity to cause an upset.
The Spaniard has lost six of his last seven matches and heads into the Australian Open with little in the way of practice, although we all know Nadal can rock up at a Slam and win the whole thing.
It’s a great chance for Draper to add a notable scalp to his record.
Speaking of his preparations, he added: “I spent two weeks at the National Tennis Centre in the UK, then two weeks out at the IMG in Florida, then I played the Battle of the Brits and had a week before I came here [Adelaide].
“I got ill a couple of times, so wasn’t able to do the pre-season I’d have liked, but I still got some work done and hopefully that will help me this year.”
With Andy Murray at 35 and seemingly no longer a contender on the big stage, there’s a huge pressure for someone to step into his shoes for the years to come.
Draper says he tries to put all the noise to one side, but admitted it’s only natural that he thinks about those pressures.
“You’ve got to put it to one side, but I’m also a human being and do think about these things. It’s a compliment that I do get this praise,” Draper said.
“At the same time, I know I’ve only been on tour for six months. I’m going to have to do a lot of learning and play against a lot of tough players and learn some tough lessons.
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“All these experiences are helping me become a better player. At the end of the day, the aim is to be a consistent player and be one of the best in the world.
“I try and cut out the noise and focus on that.”