(Sports news, tennis news) Jack Draper, the new hope of British tennis, has just won the Vienna Open and is aiming to compete with two top superstars, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the 2025 season.
The biggest victory of my career
Jack Draper, 22 years old British player, overcame Karen Khachanov in the final of Vienna Open, winning the first ATP 500 title of his career with a victory of 6-4, 7-5.
Draper is known as the “new Murray”.
Considered the UK’s “new Murray”, Draper had an impressive 2024 when he climbed from 91st to 15th in the world, becoming the UK’s top tennis star.
The victory in Vienna was a remarkable milestone in his burgeoning career, demonstrating his resilience and consistency after a long and challenging journey. “I’m very proud of what I achieved this week,” Draper said after the win.
Consistency and consistency
The 2024 season marked a major turning point in Draper’s career. After winning the Stuttgart title in June, Draper became Britain’s No. 1. At the US Open, he reached the semi-finals, only to be stopped by a stomach bug before losing to Sinner, who went on to win the title.
Draper insists it was a crucial stepping stone in his belief in his ability to compete at the highest level: “The US Open helped me realise I was capable of competing with the top players.”
22-year-old tennis player rises to world top 15 for first time
New strategy and top competitive aspiration
During his run in Vienna, Draper showed tactical flexibility. In the semi-final against Lorenzo Musetti, he used a heavy forehand to force Musetti to play more of his backhand. In the final, Draper changed his style of play, focusing on Khachanov’s forehand, demonstrating clear tactical thinking and remarkable progress under the guidance of coach James Trottman.
With the help of his coaching team, Draper tweaked his serve to be more effective. In the final, he hit 69% of his first serves and won 80% of his points from those serves. This marked improvement has allowed Draper to maintain a consistent level of performance, ready to challenge the strongest opponents.
Ambitions towards 2025 season
Draper’s goal in 2025 is nothing less than to compete head-to-head with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Although the 2024 season still has the Paris Masters ahead of it, Draper is full of hope and eager to prove himself next season. “I will take some time off to recover after a long year and continue to move forward in 2025 with greater determination, to catch up with the leaders like Alcaraz and Sinner,” he shared.
The victory at the first ATP 500 of his career helped Draper rise 3 places in the ATP rankings (October 28) from 18th to 15th. Without having to wait until 2025, at the Paris Masters taking place from October 28 to November 3, Draper will have the opportunity to face Sinner and Alcaraz.
Draper will start the Paris Masters against Jiri Lehecka (Czech Republic) in the first round (October 29). If he advances, the British player will face Taylor Fritz (USA, seed number 5). Alex De Minaur, seed number 9 from Australia, is a potential opponent for Draper, then in the quarterfinals he could face Sinner. Further, if he advances, Draper could meet Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals and leave open the possibility of facing superstar Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
