"He’s Italian, so I thought he’d know how to make pasta": Jack Draper hilariously asked Jannik Sinner for cooking tips

Jack Draper has grown up in many ways during 2024 with the Brit going through his best year on tour reaching the US Open semi-final and winning two titles.

But it has also been a learning year in his personal life with Draper continuing to grow as a person admitting in a funny anecdote that he asked Jannik Sinner how to make pasta as he's Italian.

“When I was younger, I didn’t really have much of a working mentality,” says Draper to The Guardian. “When you’re young, you step into the world of tennis and you don’t really know what it’s all about.“It’s a brutal change, because you realise that if you want to be good, you have to mature and be an adult when you’re 20 years old. I wasn’t quite ready for that; I didn’t want to put in hard work. I didn’t want to sacrifice. I didn’t want to be professional. I didn’t want to do all the things it takes.”

“I hear people say all the time that it’s not the achievement that feels great, it’s the process of the achievement. Going through all that; all the work, the doubts, the worries and the kind of like: ‘Am I going to do this? Am I going to that?’ It’s the actual work that you put in which is the enjoyable part.

“Looking back over this year, I’ve had some amazing moments that made me feel good, but I’ve also learned to enjoy all the hard work and all the tough things that go with it.”

“I didn’t know how to cook anything,” he says, laughing. “He’s Italian, so I thought he’d know how to make pasta. I should have just asked my mum, but I didn’t. He did a good pasta and taught me how to do it.”

“I’m a lot calmer,” he continued. “I have a lot more belief in my tennis and my life outside of the court. It’s hard as a young player. You’re so busy with playing tennis, your [personal] life is kind of put on hold. But I’ve understood to have a good balance. In London, I can train, but I’ve also got my own place. I feel very content with a lot of things and I’ve just become more my own person.”