Jack Draper is reaping the rewards of a transformative new approach to tennis as he surges into the third round of the US Open.
The 21-year-old is gliding through the top half of the draw with conviction, having only spent just over three hours on the court thus far.
One of the hot favorites and potential third-round opponents for Draper, Carlos Alcaraz, suffered a shocking defeat on Thursday, failing to hold up his end of the deal after the Brit advanced.
Draper would have relished a potential matchup with the world number three, having beaten him convincingly at Queen’s, but will also accept the news with little disappointment, knowing it makes his path to the second week now look much clearer.
The tennis that we have become accustomed to seeing from Draper in recent times – particularly in Cincinnati and at the US Open – is promising, but things weren’t always plain sailing for the rising star.
What did Jack Draper’s previous coach tell him to do?
After reaching the final in Adelaide, Jack Draper struggled with a relatively sub-par opening few months of the campaign.
However, Draper has since bolstered his coaching setup with the addition of Wayne Ferreira, and the Brit is enjoying newfound success.
The instant impact of the South African was reflected in Draper clinching his first ATP title in Stuttgart, having been on the losing end in his previous two finals.
A large part of this success is due to the new approach that Draper holds, which is considerably different from the ones that he has been to told take in the past.
“It’s a weird one,” Draper explained in a press conference. “I’ve had coaches in the past tell me in the past that [I] need to be this big hitting player, serve and volley.
“That isn’t the way for me. The one thing about me being tall that’s different from other tall players is that I can scrap, I can move and I can be really good defensively when I need to be.
“It’s amazing to have that quality, I’ve got the foundation of doing that and now I can build the rest of my game around that.”
Draper’s new approach offers promise for US Open run
It is refreshing to hear Draper appreciate the qualities he possesses and understand how to best use them when in battle.
He’s always been an explosive threat, with a powerful lefty serve and punishing groundstrokes, and his new approach seems to harness these qualities as he puts his best foot forward.
It’s a new attitude that has seen Draper hit the ground running at the US Open this year as he bids to better the impressive run he made to the fourth round 12 months ago.
Now, with the draw opening up nicely, he has a brilliant chance to do so.
Sebastian Korda, the world number 16 and reigning Washington champion, was also upset by an unseeded threat, leaving Draper with a relatively clear path to the quarter-final stage.
It is not until then that he may have to face his first seeded opponent, projected to be world number 10 Alex de Minaur.
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