Jack Draper has been rewarded for his fantastic Vienna Open efforts with a new career-high ranking.
Draper occupies 15th in the world rankings after beating Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5 to win his first ATP 500 trophy.
The British number one needed one hour and 35 minutes to overcome his Vienna Open final opponent, who did produce a fightback after an early Draper rampage.
Draper stunned Khachanov in the first set, but the latter ensured the former didn’t have it all his way in Austria.
But the Briton held out for his maiden ATP 500 success, having won an ATP 250 event in Stuttgart earlier this year.
Vienna Open winner Jack Draper warns Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Draper will be thrilled with his silverware at the Vienna Open, but he must quickly move on to the next event in the hugely busy ATP Tour schedule.
He will take on the Paris Masters next, with the 22-year-old then set for a well-earned break from the sport.
“I’m really happy with the way I’ve progressed this year,” said Draper, as quoted by Sky Sports. “I’ll focus on next week and then I’m going to look forward to having a bit of time off and probably not thinking about tennis.
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“It has been a long year and it has taken a lot out of me. And then I’ll refresh and I’ll go again for next year with even bigger motivation to really shake up those guys at the top of the game – the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz.
“If I can keep on improving physically and keep on getting more and more experience at this higher level against top players then I’m going to give myself a shot to hopefully be competing with those guys. But there’s a lot of work to do.”
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper all in Paris Masters
Draper clearly has grand plans to upset the status quo on the ATP Tour, which seemingly does need a third player to challenge the two current stars leading the way.
Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the men’s game in 2024, with the world top two sharing the four Grand Slam titles this season.
The former started and ended the year with success at the Australian Open and US Open respectively, with the latter winning the French Open and Wimbledon in between.
Draper did, of course, do his best to topple the Italian in New York, but the world number one proved too strong in their US Open semi-final.
But given his rapid rise, there is every chance that the British star can really challenge Sinner and Alcaraz next season.
Intriguingly, all three players will be taking part in the Paris Masters this week, with Sinner and Alcaraz receiving byes into the second round as Draper meets Jiri Lehecka in round one.
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