Jack Draper reveals goal ‘to be one of the best in the world’
Jack Draper has abandoned the idea of simply being a top 50 player, insisting there is “no reason not to go all the way”.
Draper was on the verge of reaching his fifth career ATP Challenger final in Orléans, France, where he narrowly lost to Czech Tomas Machak.
A good week’s work for @jackdraper0 who finishes runner-up at the @ATPChallenger Orleans 👊
📸 IG: Cometorleansopen pic.twitter.com/tL0PuMx0Gq
– LTA (@the_LTA) 2. 2023 年 10 月
The British No. 5 has been on the road to a comeback in recent months after a series of injuries forced him to miss several tournaments, including his home game at Wimbledon.
This dropped the former top 40 player to 123rd in the world, but he has struggled to climb back up the rankings since his return at the Winnipeg Challenger in August.
Meanwhile, Draper actually achieved the best result of his career at a Grand Slam, reaching the fourth round at the US Open and will return to the top 100 when the new ATP Rankings are released on Wednesday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHyuq4nGoq0[/embed]
And the 21-year-old apparently has big ambitions after recovering from a previous injury: “Despite this year being really tough, falling out of the top 100 and all that.” I feel like I was.’ I learned so much and I’m a much better player now than I was nine or 10 months ago. ”
He continued: “My goal is not to be a top 100 or top 50 player. My goal is to be the best player in the world. A lot of things have to come together for that, but I want to compete every day. If you keep working hard and keep doing everything it takes both physically and mentally to get to the top, I don’t think there’s any reason why you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the game and achieve anything in this sport. There is no such thing.”
Draper also reflected on his rehabilitation journey, revealing it could be “lonely” at times: “I’m proud of myself, but it’s definitely been tough.” This year has seen so many injuries. So coming back from that injury definitely created a lot of strength of character.
“I knew that in order to be at my best, I had to be in good shape both physically and mentally. “Being a tennis player is an individual sport, and it can be lonely and That’s all there is to it. That’s why it’s so important to have great people around you who always care about you and are always there for you.”
Draper continues to compete this week at the ATP Challenger Tournament in Mouilleron-le-Catif, France, where he will face 18-year-old Jakub Mensik in the first round.
In the baseline…
There is no question that Jack Draper has the potential to be a top 20 player. He has shown so far that he can beat some of the best players in the world, with wins over players such as Stefanos Tsitsipas and Taylor Fritz. And Jannik Sinner. However, this will definitely depend on his ability to stay fit, as he has struggled with this since taking the stage in 2022
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