Jack Draper has New York in the palm of his hand, Anna Wintour in his box seat and a place in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, where he will face Australian Alex de Minaur on Wednesday.
He’s come a long way in a relatively short time, from feeling so stifled by the strain of touring, so far from fulfilling his dreams, that he considered quitting.
“I was almost sold a dream, you know? I thought it was going to be easy,” the 22-year-old reflected on his early years on tour.
“Not the Wimbledon strawberries and cream I was expecting.”
It’s a burger with fries instead of strawberries and cream, but that dream is now three wins away from reality.
Jack Draper, 22, pictured in action at this year’s US Open in Flushing Meadows in New York
British number one Draper has come through the first four rounds without dropping a set.
Draper has been a huge talent since childhood, a top junior athlete at the national level in every age category. But, largely due to injuries, his first four and a half years were spent in the grind of lower-level events.
When Emma Raducanu won the title here three years ago, Draper was world number 272 and had just lost in the second round of the Seville Challenger, retiring with another injury.
By this time, holed up in a succession of charmless hotels, Draper was considering a more permanent retirement.
“You have all those big dreams of winning Wimbledon and then you come out of the juniors and you get into the hard work, you have to go to all those tough places to play tennis and beat the men,” she said.
‘The COVID pandemic and lockdown came, and the players found it very difficult to cope. I had a deep reflection. I honestly thought that maybe I wasn’t made for tennis.
‘I came back and worked hard and then I had another moment in 2022 where I thought, with all my injuries, if, again, I was good enough to continue being the top player I wanted to be. I didn’t want to play tennis to not be a top player.
‘In the middle of last year, my mindset changed completely. I wanted to be as professional as possible and achieve as much as possible.
“I thought it was going to be easy, but the reality was incredibly difficult. It took me a long time to come to terms with that.
“But for about a year now, I’m starting to believe more and more in my abilities, in the possibility that one day those dreams can become reality.”
“One day” could be the four-day deadline in the US Open final. Draper’s next match will undoubtedly be his toughest yet. De Minaur, seeded 10th, was a doubt for the US Open after suffering a hip injury at Wimbledon, but he, like Draper, has had a kind draw and said: “Every day I feel better and better. I hope to be at my best.”
Draper is now potentially just three more wins away from becoming a Grand Slam champion.
Draper pictured celebrating after beating Czech player Tomas Machac in his previous match
The 25-year-old ended Dan Evans’ valiant run in an Ashes battle and now the second Test arrives.
As Katie Boulter’s boyfriend, De Minaur is sometimes an honorary Pom, but not this week. “I’ve played a lot of Brits,” he said. “It’s never easy. I feel a bit hostile in the country at the moment.”
De Minaur leads the head-to-head 3-0, but the same happened with Tomas Machac in the last round of Draper.
Given the Briton’s recent progress, past results have little relevance.
James Trotman, Draper’s trainer for three years, said: ‘If you look at Jack, this is really his first full year on the main tour.
“To be in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam is an incredible achievement, so we’ll try to keep it up. He looks very calm and collected, I’ve never seen him so calm in a Grand Slam.”
Draper looks confident in his game and comfortable with himself, happy to discuss any topic.
Given the presence of Vogue editor-in-chief Wintour on court for her victory over Machac, having met her a few days earlier and extended an invitation, Draper was invited to give his take on fashion.
Anna Wintour (center) is one of the most famous faces to have cheered Draper on in New York.
“I don’t know anything about the fashion world,” she said. “But I’ve always firmly believed that everyone is free to dress however they want, whether it’s baggy clothes, tight clothes or some crazy hairstyle.
‘Just express your personality and own it.’
That last sentence could be written in neon in Times Square, it so perfectly describes New Yorkers.
Draper is creating a connection with this vibrant and eclectic city, and this tournament is like no other: let yourself go, harness the energy of the crowd and they can sweep you away like a tidal wave.
Jack Draper is on a roll. He’ll be hard to stop.
