Jack Draper began last year by playing challenger events but by year's end, the Brit was winning US Open matches.
It was a rapid rise for the youngster who earned his place among the best as one of the best young players of his generation. Even so, Draper is not far removed from a time when he used to watch all these players on TV and now he's among them in the locker room and beating some of them on the court. It's a new experience for him at a time when things change quickly as it is as he revealed in a talk with Tennis Majors.
That’s the thing, you’ve watched these tournaments so much when you when you’re younger and all of a sudden you’re here and you sort of feel a little bit of imposter syndrome, because all of a sudden I’m here, I’m walking around the changing rooms, (with) all these guys.
It's something that will get better with time and every tournament and match that passes make him feel more and more at home. He's leaning on some of the veteran guys on the Tour who fly the Union Jack as well and it's been a good overall experience for him. Playing at these venues with the crowd cheering is a huge motivating factor for him. It's what he dreamt of as a young kid in Britain.
I’ve only been on tour for eight months, so it’s not easy to get used to. And I’ve never been here before, but it’s it’s an amazing tournament. It’s weird. I asked Cam (Norrie) and (other) players, ‘It’s first round, will the crowd be like full and stuff?’
I’m still used to playing like lower level events where I’m thinking no one’s going to show up. It’s an incredible tournament and it kind of gives you more motivation when you see big crowds and and the amazing players that you’re playing against. So it is a first and it is quite a lot to take in, but I enjoy it.
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