Support truly
independent journalism
Jack Draper is daring to dream big in New York and is not ready to stop at the US Open quarter-finals.
By thrashing Tomas Machac on Monday, Draper became the first British man to reach the last eight since Andy Murray in 2016.
He has yet to drop a set in his opening four matches, with his form echoing that of fellow Briton Emma Raducanu, who claimed the US Open title in 2021.
He faces a winnable tie against Australian Alex De Minaur on Wednesday.
Although he has breezed through his first four matches, Draper says his best is still to come.
“I think I’ve just got to keep on going because I know that there’s still room for improvement and still room to hopefully go further in the tournament,” he said.
“I feel like in most of the matches I’ve just had to control what I can control.
“I feel like my base level is good, but I still feel like if I need to, I can improve my level a lot more.
“I feel like there’s still a long way for me to go and a lot that I can still improve on in this tournament, and I think obviously as the challenge gets higher and as I play even better players, I think hopefully my level will increase with that.
“I think that’s the main thing about tennis. You know, we can’t play our best tennis all the time.
“It’s about how we’re coming through on the days when we’re not playing our best or when things aren’t perfect or when we’re not feeling great.”
Draper is doing a pretty good job of filling Murray’s shoes in the first grand slam since the Scot’s retirement.
The British number one says he will not be afraid to tap into Murray’s knowledge of playing on the biggest stage but does not want to disrupt his time on the golf course.
“I feel like he would completely understand and respond to any messages I send him and would give me advice, but I think also at the same time I think he’s kind of enjoying his retirement now, and he’s kind of done with it,” Draper said.
“I know if I have any questions or if I’m feeling something, then he’ll be the first person I text. I know that he’d be there for me if I need him.”
De Minaur, whose girlfriend is British number one Katie Boulter, has won all three previous meetings against Draper but is taking nothing for granted.
“I think the biggest thing that we need to understand is that there is nothing sure in tennis, right? Doesn’t matter how many times you’ve played someone. It doesn’t mean much,” he said.
“So playing Jack, he’s coming off his best year by far. He’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s got some very big weapons; his serve, backhand, and forehand at times.
“So it’s always tough facing someone like him, especially a lefty.”
