Jack Draper has hailed Novak Djokovic as the greatest tennis player of all time as he shared his thoughts on the Serbian icon reaching the 2026 Australian Open final.
Djokovic reached his 11th Australian Open final and 38th Grand Slam championship match — both record-extending numbers — at this year’s edition of the Melbourne major.
At the age of 38 years and 255 days, Djokovic became the oldest Australian Open finalist in history and the oldest Grand Slam finalist since a 39-year-old Ken Rosewall reached the 1974 US Open title match.
The Serbian delivered a remarkable display to defeat world No 2 Jannik Sinner in a thrilling five-set semi-final in Melbourne. He lost in four sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Djokovic, who is ranked third in the world, has won a record 24 Grand Slam titles and holds the record for the most weeks spent as world No 1 (428).
In an interview with The National, Draper described Djokovic as an example of “true greatness” and a “proper inspiration.”
“Nothing surprises me with Novak. I think, for me, he’s the greatest tennis player of all time,” said the former world No 4. “He is an example to everyone just of longevity and true greatness.
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“I think whenever I watch him play, I’m always inspired by the fact that in Australia, what… he won it, like 10 times? And he’s out there in his 11th final there.
“And for me and for many other players, he’s a proper inspiration and someone that we all look up to and aspire to be like.”
Draper made his long-awaited comeback from a bone stress injury in his left arm in Great Britain’s Davis Cup win over Norway earlier this month, beating Viktor Durasovic 6-2, 6-2 in his only match.
The British star had not played since he was forced to withdraw ahead of his second round match at the US Open in August.
The 24-year-old, who is ranked 15th, is making his ATP Tour comeback at the Dubai Championships this week.
Asked if he is now pain-free, Draper said: “It’s difficult to say at the moment. I’m still at the very end of my process of that. But do I think that I’m going to be good to play full out and play week after week? Absolutely.”
Draper added: “I think from a recovery point of view, my habits off the court maybe changed a little bit. Like I’m trying to sleep more and recover better. I understand the value of my body a hell of a lot more.
“And I think just learning to maybe slow down a little bit as well and to know that you don’t have to always be working ridiculously hard all the time. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
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