Jack Draper has been on Tour for a couple of years, and Jannik Sinner seems to be the player with whom he has the closest relationship among his colleagues outside of the Brits.
It's an interesting combination that might surprise a lot of people because, at first glance, the two don't seem to have much in common. They are of similar age, with Sinner being 23 and Draper 22, but outside of that, there isn't much that connects the two.
They come from different countries and haven't attended the same academies, but they did learn about each other in the juniors. Both have a passion for tennis, which is plenty enough to bond over, as a tennis player's life does tend to get lonely at times.
They are never alone, but when it's time to step out onto the court, it's only about them as athletes out there. That's where friendship comes into play, and in this case, it was something that happened organically—first through seeing each other around and then just keeping in touch through text messages.
They also started to express support for each other, and it snowballed from there, as Draper explained ahead of their possible meeting at the 2024 US Open.
"Since I've been on the tour, obviously seeing each other in the changing rooms and, you know, just say hi to each other, um, I think, you know, we keep in touch on text."
"And I think just in general, We're obviously young, we're playing this incredibly tough sport, you know, there's a, there's a lot of emotional ups and downs."
"There's a lot of tough moments. I think it started through, you know, sending messages to each other when we're having bad moments or good moments.."
By now, it's grown into a nice friendship, which the players took to another level by playing doubles together at the Canadian Open in Montreal. It was a nice experience for both, because they played great in the doubles tournament, and Draper found it a great chance to see someone that good up close.
Sinner is the more successful tennis player by all metrics; however, the British player is enjoying a career-best run at the US Open. Associating himself with top players like Sinner can only help him get there sooner, as he can learn from their experiences.
"It was a was a real good thing we played doubles in Montreal. I loved being on court with him. Yeah, it was, it was strange being on court with someone obviously that good, you know, we played great doubles."
"Hopefully I get to play with him again but I think as a as a person he's incredibly kind, genuine, funny, and you know, that's more important than being the great player."
There is a chance they will contest a semi-final at the US Open this year. Draper will face Alex de Minaur for a spot in the semi-final, while Sinner will face Daniil Medvedev for the spot in the last four. If they both win, they will meet in the semi-finals.
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