"I'm going to give myself a shot to be competing with those guys": Jack Draper sets sights on Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz after ATP 500 win

Britain’s Jack Draper has his eyes set on giving a tough time to world number one Jannik Sinner and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz after securing his maiden ATP 500 title. The 22-year-old is already regarded as one of the most talented players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category.

Draper has recently clinched his maiden ATP 500 title in Vienna as he defeated Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-5. The Sutton-born has benen going through an impressive season. Recently, he played in the semifinal of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career during the US Open. He lost to Sinner in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 7-6, 6-2.

Draper, after securing the title, was recently quoted in a report where he stated his objective for the next season. The world number 15 not only expressed satisfaction with his performance in the ongoing campaign but also stated that next season, his primary objective will be to challenge the best in business in Sinner and Alcaraz. However, Draper also admitted that he still has a lot of work to do.

"I'm really happy with the way I've progressed this year," he said. "I'll focus on next week and then I'm going to look forward to having a bit of time off and probably not thinking about tennis. It has been a long year and it has taken a lot out of me. And then I'll refresh and I'll go again for next year with even bigger motivation to really shake up those guys at the top of the game the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz. If I can keep on improving physically and keep on getting more and more experience at this higher level against top players then I'm going to give myself a shot to hopefully be competing with those guys. But there's a lot of work to do."