Jack Draper amazed many with his play at the 2024 US Open, and one of them was former WTA player Martina Navratilova, who was hugely impressed by what she saw from the Brit.
Draper arrived in New York after a solid outing at the Cincinnati Open, where he played some amazing tennis. He had hoped to continue that good run in New York, but he surprised everybody—and probably himself a little bit—by what he was able to produce at Flushing Meadows.
The Brit advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final, in which he was ultimately beaten by Jannik Sinner in straight sets. Draper left a positive impression despite the loss because he demonstrated a level capable of challenging for the biggest trophies.
It was a level good enough to make a deep run at the Grand Slam level, so now it’s all about building on that and transforming into a player who could seriously challenge for major trophies for the Brit.
Former player Navratilova was certainly left impressed by what she saw from Draper. Speaking to Sky Sports, Navratilova noted that the match against Sinner was just him facing a better player who did everything a tiny bit better than the players he had faced before.
She remembered her first time playing against Chris Evert and how the fact that her opponent was a tiny bit better in every aspect made all the difference.
"I remember playing the first time against Chris [Evert] and Margaret Court, everything was hit a little bit harder, a little bit deeper, a little bit closer to the sideline. I had to run more."
"The drop shots were shorter. Everything was better. It's cumulative, on this court when it's so physical. But it just caught up with him [Draper]."
Talent was never a question mark for Draper. We’ve seen this level from him in the past, but for him, it’s mostly about health. He hasn’t been the healthiest player so far in his career and has missed quite a bit of time with various injuries, and that will be the be key also in the future, according to Navratilova.
If he can stay healthy next year, he should be in the conversation for every major. That’s how good he can be, according to the former player. He’s got a powerful serve that is a major weapon on any surface, especially on the quicker ones, like hard and grass.
He’s got solid shots from both sides and moves pretty well. On top of that, there isn’t anything that jumps out as a huge weakness in his game outside of the lack of experience, which showed itself against Sinner, but also the health aspect.
His body let him down frequently and a little bit against Sinner, too, so those are the areas in which he can improve. If he does, he’ll be very hard to contain.
"Next year, if he stays healthy, Jack will be in the conversation in every major. That's a really big plus. If he keeps playing like this the sky is the limit."
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