Jack Draper: How the British number one transformed his career

At the Challenger event in Bergamo last October, Draper had just crawled back into the world’s top 100 – a key marker on the professional tours and the gateway to direct entry into the Grand Slam events.

He complained about the ‘brutal’ nature of a sport in which he had gone on to fulfill his potential, only to suffer another setback with a shoulder injury.

“I was 40 in the world, I got injured and my ranking completely dropped. I was playing Challengers again and I felt angry,” Draper said.

“But I knew that if I could get my mind and body in a good place, my tennis would be good enough to compete with the best players in the world.”

This year he demonstrated that by:

winning a first ATP Tour title – a 250 event in Stuttgart
reaching a first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open
cracking the top 20 of the ATP world rankings
he became only the fourth British man since 2009 to win an ATP 500 title

“It’s been a long year with a lot of ups and downs,” Draper said.

“But winning my first title, then the US Open, has contributed enormously to my belief that I belong.

“It’s been a snowball effect since then.”