Jack Draper believes he can take his game to another level against world No1 Jannik Sinner after booking his place in the semi-finals of the US Open.
Draper continued his run of not dropping a set throughout the tournament as he swept aside Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 in Wednesday night’s quarter-final.
It left him one match away from a first career Grand Slam final, and he warned Sinner, who won his first Major in Australia at the start of the year, that he had more to offer in Friday’s encounter.
“This is not an overnight thing for me,” he said. “I felt like my level today was solid, there were some glimpses of really good stuff. I still have some levels to go if I get pushed.” The No25 seed had never been beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam in his nascent career to date, but has been the breakout star of the men’s draw in New York.
After injury setbacks in the past two seasons, when he struggled to get through the physicality of some matches, the 22-year-old insisted that was no longer a problem, despite not going beyond three sets in any match at Flushing Meadows this time around.
“Coming here, I’ve been feeling like a more complete player,” he said. “Physically, I’ve always maybe in the past worried a little bit about playing five sets, and mentally and emotionally it being too much for me, and kind of just thinking, ‘Am I good enough to play the best players in the world in best-of-five sets?’ Even though I have won all of them in three sets, I still feel like I have got so much left in my locker. I’m not worrying about it if it goes longer, if it goes for a long time.
“It gives me a lot of peace of mind knowing that my body feels good or robust, and I’m ready to go the distance if I need to.”
Draper has dropped just 36 games in total on his way into the last four of the tournament, the lowest of any male player for four decades. He admitted his cause in beating De Minaur was aided by the fact that the Australian, who had won the pair’s previous three encounters on tour, had been hampered by an injury during the match.
Draper, who will climb into the world’s top 20 for the first time when the rankings are revised on Monday immaterial of Friday’s result, had his own issues with a twinge in his leg, which required him calling on the trainer before playing on for the remaining two sets.
Despite the momentary blip, he insisted there were no injury concerns, having been plagued by a variety of issues in seasons past.
“Last year was a real turning point for me,” he said. “When I had my injury setbacks, I had to watch all these young, amazing players winning tournaments and playing on the biggest stages in the world.
“I felt like I just wasn’t doing enough to get to that point myself.
“I’ve believed for a long time that I’ve been putting in the work and doing the right things, and I knew that my time would come.”
Draper and Sinner are close friends, having come through the junior circuit together, and the pair were doubles partners as recently as last month in Montreal.
Of that friendship, Draper said: “We’ve always kept in touch since I’ve been on tour the last couple of years. Jannik is a good friend, someone I’m definitely close to.
“We send each other messages in good moments, bad moments. It’s a tough sport to play when you are a young guy. So, to sort of have the support of someone who’s going through it themselves is really big.”
The pair have played against each other just once in the senior ranks, all the way back in 2021, when Draper beat Sinner at Queen’s in two tiebreaks.
To prepare for their meet-up, Draper will continue what has become something of a ritual this time around in New York of walking around Arthur Ashe Stadium before the crowds storm in.
Thursday night was his debut on the biggest court in tennis — a 24,000-seater — and he will be back in action there again on Friday.
“I have been going out [on Arthur Ashe] not knowing I would play, but taking a look, because it is one of the most iconic stages in the sport,” he said. “I think that helped me get used to it today.”
