Jack Draper wants to take plenty of advice from Andy Murray once he retires from tennis.
The 22-year-old has shown some promise throughout his young career and he boasts a rocket forehand and scorching serve that give his opponents plenty of problems.
He is ranked number 35 in the world and wants to continue his journey to become one of the game’s best and most consistent players.
To help him achieve that, Draper is keen to learn from British compatriot Murray, who is a three-time Grand Slam champion and double Olympic gold medallist.
Jack Draper wants to learn all he can from Andy Murray
Draper grew up watching Murray in his prime as he fought his way to Grand Slam success in an era boasting Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
The 36-year-old went on to become World Number One and cement himself as a legend of the game.
Now a young player looking to have some success of his own, Draper wants to pick Murray’s brain as much as he can, but is happy to wait until he has more free time.
“When he has stopped I will be contacting him a lot more, asking him for opinions on certain things, asking him what he has tried and if it has worked for him,” Draper said according to Sky Sports.
“I am definitely going to lean on Andy a lot and I am sure he will want to help me because he has always been very supportive of me.
“Andy has done so much for British tennis and so much for the sport in general. For me, he is one of the greatest players of all time. He is going to have an unbelievable legacy and I do feel a responsibility to lead on from where he has been.”
Have Jack Draper and Andy Murray played against each other?
Draper was able to test himself against the veteran Murray at the 2023 Indian Wells Masters. The pair met in the third round after the youngster had defeated compatriot Dan Evans and Murray defeated Radu Albot.
With a spot in the fourth round against eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz at stake, Draper edged a first set tiebreak before cruising through the second set to seal a 7-6(6), 6-2 win.
Draper said after the match: “I’ve looked up to Andy since I was so young. I watched him win Wimbledon for the first time in 2013 and then I’ve had the opportunity to get to know him and practise with him often since 2019.
“He’s a really special person, a great champion, great human being and I’m privileged to play against him on this court.”
The pair also played in the Battle of the Brits team event where Murray claimed a 6-2 1-6 12-10 win for Team Scotland. This tournament is not under the ATP Tour banner and therefore does not count towards their official ATP head-to-head record.
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