Jack Draper has quickly become the biggest name in men’s British tennis, with the youngster at the top of his game.
His hard work on and off the court has now culminated in the 22-year-old rising to the British number one spot.
The overtaking of Cam Norrie at the top of the pile was, however, quickly followed by an even more significant achievement.
The Brit has just clinched his first ATP Tour title, beating Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in the Stuttgart Open in Germany.
The very promising athlete impressively fought from behind to clinch a 3-6, 7-6(7-5), 6-4 victory on the grass court.
Frances Tiafoe makes Jack Draper prediction after Stuttgart Open win
The win came in Draper’s third ATP Tour final, and represents his first-ever success and indeed a sign of things to come.
He deserves huge credit for the victory over the experienced Berrettini, but another very impressive win came in the quarter-final against Frances Tiafoe.
The sixth seed also came from behind in that clash to win 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(7-1), with the American now predicting very big things for the Brit.
“He’s going to be the best British player for a long time,” Tiafoe told i. “I hope he keeps going and keeps working. He’s a good dude.
“His leftie serve is really good, especially on grass. It kind of slides away. I think that was the biggest thing that paid dividends. He served at an elite level.”
How far can Jack Draper go at Wimbledon?
Beating the 28th-ranked American was a superb achievement, as is Draper becoming the youngest British number one since Andy Murray, who rose to that ranking in 2006 aged 19.
Draper certainly holds the Scot in high regard, and has said he will contact Murray a lot more once he has retired from the game.
For now, however, the latest Brit to emerge to the top spot will have grand plans for the months ahead, beginning with Queens.
Draper has been drawn to face Mariano Navone in the opening round, and will surely be confident of going far in the tournament as Wimbledon approaches.
Serving will once again be key to going the distance, but Draper has little to worry about in that area, having hit a personal record of 31 aces against Tiafoe.
As always, however, the big names will be very hard to beat in London next month as they eye success in the third major of the year.
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