“I think I do belong at the top of the game” Jack Draper confident in challenging Alcaraz and Sinner’s reign

Jack Draper hopes to take another leap forward on the Tour and is confident he can challenge the dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The Brit No. 1 capped off a remarkable season by breaking into the top 15 for the first time in his career after claiming titles in Stuttgart and Vienna and reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open, where he fell to the Italian.

From his early appearances on the Tour, Draper was earmarked as one of the most promising talents of his generation. However, he fell a step behind players like Alcaraz, Sinner, or Rune in previous years due to recurring injuries that limited his consistency.

Even so, Draper earned the respect of his peers with impressive performances but only made his breakthrough in 2024. At just 23 years old, Draper has already won titles, had a deep run at a Grand Slam, and achieved the biggest win of his career by defeating Alcaraz at the Queen’s Club Championships, handing the Spaniard his only loss on grass courts in his last 21 appearances.

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Draper edges closer to Sinner and Alcaraz with stellar performances

Draper seems to have closed the gap on Alcaraz and Sinner but aims to go even further to challenge their dominance. “I think I do belong at the top of the game with all the weapons I have at my disposal, and mentality and all these things,” he said. “Obviously there’s so much to improve but I think just the main thing is experience of playing these matches week in, week out.”

This year Draper added Wayne Ferreira to his team (who had previously worked with Frances Tiafoe). However, their partnership ended quickly as Draper decided he preferred having a single head coach: James Trotman, who has extensive experience as a coach in British tennis.

“It was just maybe five or 10 per cent more of what I was already doing,” Draper said about how he improved his game. “I think that was the thing that was a good learning for me. I had to be brave, I had to be more aggressive. I had to change, but I didn’t have to change a massive amount.”

Jack Draper at 2024 US Open.

“I think everyone’s different, but one thing they would have in common is that, especially those two, they’re not afraid to go after the ball when it matters, and they’re not afraid to put their tennis on the line and really show their character,” Draper said.

“And not afraid to miss, not afraid to make the mistake if it’s a good error. I remember when I played Alcaraz in Indian Wells a couple of years ago, in maybe the second game, he hit a forehand off a decent backhand of mine, and he hit it about 100 and something miles an hour, and he missed,” the world No. 15 added. “But I was thinking, ‘I can’t drop the ball short anymore, because this is going to go past me.’

“I think about how much my mindset and my tactical awareness and my general confidence has changed since the summertime. It’s just keeping on learning what I need to do in order to be more consistent at winning at the highest level,” the 23-year-old said.

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Jack Draper is preparing for his 2025 season debut, which will take place at the United Cup starting on December 29, where he will team up with Katie Boulter to lead the United Kingdom. The European nation will face Alex de Minaur’s Australia and Tomás Martín Etcheverry’s Argentina in the Round Robin stage. “I love competing, I love the battle, I love playing in front of big crowds,” he said. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be in the world than on that court then.”

In a recent interview with The Independent, Draper also commented on the legacy of Andy Murray, who recently retired and held the Brit No. 1 spot for nearly 15 years. The 3-time Grand Slam champion had only a few months off before being announced as Novak Djokovic’s coach, stunning the tennis world with this exciting partnership.

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“I think it’s amazing for the sport that those two are coming together,” said Draper. “It’s going to be very interesting to see that dynamic unfold,” Draper commented on the partnership. “And I think it’s amazing that Andy is coming back into tennis. I kind of figured that maybe he’d take a break and do other things, but one thing I do know about him is that he loves this sport so much.

“I think he’d be an amazing coach. His tennis brain is huge tactically. I think he’d find it incredibly fun. And to obviously be around Djokovic, I think he’d find that interesting to see one of his biggest rivals, how that guy operates on a daily basis.”