Jack Draper was emerging as the primary candidate to take on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the top of men’s tennis in the first half of this season, but he admits he has to improve the attacking side of his game to reach the very top.
Draper turned in a dominant performance as he beat Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Alcaraz on his way to winning his first ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells in March, with his class then shining through on clay courts as he battled through to the Madrid Open final.
That was before an arm injury derailed his season, as he lost against Marin Cilic at Wimbledon and was then forced to pull out of the US Open due to the arm problem.
Draper is set to make his first appearance on court since the last Grand Slam of the season at next week’s UTS Grand Final event in London, where he will compete against top players like Alex de Minaur in the battle for a big prize money cheque in the high-energy exhibition event.
Ahead of his comeback, he sat down with The Tennis Mentor at a Dunlop event to discuss where he needs to improve his game, as he pointed to the attitude of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as his main sources of inspiration.
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“I’m always developing, always learning,” said Draper. “When I was growing up and watching interviews with the greats like Andy, Novak, Rafa and Roger and they are always looking to improve.
“I’m still at the very start of my journey. I’m still learning all the time and gaining lots of experience from winning matches and losing matches.
“There are many areas of my game I’m trying to improve. Obviously, tennis a very mental game and I’m trying to keep on improving that. Then my serve, my forehand.
“The way I’m trying to improve the attacking side of my tennis. I’ve always been someone who is incredibly comfortable in defence, but coming forwards and trying to knock off the point with the volley… that’s where I’d say modern tennis is about going out there and winning. They are not going to let you.
“As a player, you’ve got to experience losing matches because you are not doing the right thing. I went through a period last year when I lost four matches 7-6 in the third against really top players. It was a moment I had to look at myself and think, I have to go out there and get it. I need to be a complete player and not just let them win.
“You watch guys like Alcaraz and Sinner, they are playing so freely. That’s a big part of the sport right now. Just to express yourself on court.”
A fit and firing Draper has confirmed he has too much firepower for Alcaraz after wins against him on grass at the Queen’s Club in 2024 and at Indian Wells earlier this year.
He will draw inspiration from those wins as he looks to make a big splash in 2026, with Draper set to return to competitive action alongside his fellow Brit Emma Raducanu in the United Cup team event next month.
The post Jack Draper reveals what he needs to improve to compete with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.
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