Jack Draper is hoping to bounce back in Asia and build on his US Open success following Great Britain’s dismal Davis Cup exit.
Britain’s new dynamo arrived to the Manchester Regional Tennis Center worn out, slightly hobbling, but brimming with confidence after his US Open exploits.
After his run to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows 12 months ago, Jack Draper capitalised on Carlos Alcaraz’s early exit and beat tenth seed Alex de Minaur on his way to the last four.
While the powerful lefty couldn’t get past eventual champion Jannik Sinner in a gruelling and unfortunately nauseating semi-final, it remains a solid fortnight’s work.
After sitting out of Great Britain’s opening clash with Finland, a heavily-strapped up and somewhat jaded Draper lost four incredibly narrow sets to Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Jack Draper targets a positive Asian swing to end a strong 2024 season
After Andy Murray’s retirement at the Paris Olympics, British hopes were instantly renewed by the 22-year-old’s prompt rise in form.
Speaking to Sky Sports after Great Britain’s third place finish in the Davis Cup, Draper highlighted how pleased he was with the improvements he’s made this year.
“To be in my position now where I’m No 20 in the world and all that progress I’ve made in all situations in my tennis, my mind, my body, the way I feel, I’m extremely proud of the work I’ve done in the last year. But I’ve still got a very long way to go, a lot to improve and a lot to learn and work on.
“I want to get to the position where I’m consistently winning and playing at a high level week in, week out,” the British number one added.
Set to prepare for next week’s Japan Open in Tokyo, Draper will also feature in the Shanghai Masters in China.
“I want to have a good Asia swing and a good indoor season. The work’s not done yet. This period for me, I’ve played a lot of tennis and I’ve travelled a lot, it’s about looking after my body, making sure I don’t break down,” Draper said, acknowledging the physical limitations he experienced in the US Open semi-final.
“I want to keep my motivation strong so that I can finish the year hopefully in a really strong way and then obviously have a prolonged pre-season and work really hard on my body and improve ready for next year.”
Could Jack Draper match his US Open form at next year’s Australian Open?
With the remainder of the season on the hard courts, Draper must carry this momentum into Melbourne, rather than slow up.
The US Open remains slightly difficult to analyse, with Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic’s early defeats key in the ‘all-to-play-for’ vibe that followed.
With Sinner also facing Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals, the battle between the strongest two players left happened two rounds too early.
Draper must be credited for taking his chance with both hands, striking while the iron’s hot, and beating a top 10 player.
However, his Davis Cup defeats, again perhaps more to do with fatigue than anything else, show that he must keep the pace up, otherwise he risks an unfortunate fade in Melbourne.
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