Rising star Jack Draper looks to Andy Murray for inspiration

Jack Draper says getting to know Andy Murray has given him ‘a lot of lessons’ as the British player seeks to rise further up the world rankings.

The 20-year-old has enjoyed a strong first half of 2022 which has seen him claim a quartet of titles on the lower-level Challenger Tour. Since January he has climbed more than 150 places in standings to break into the world’s top 100 for the first time at the age of 20. Eager to improve further, Draper says his time spent with three-time Grand Slam champion Murray has given him some vital insight into what needs to be done.

He said:

“I was able to watch him a lot at an early age. I think he was in his prime when I was eight to 14. Watching him and being able to see the lessons just from his game without knowing him was great."

He added:

"And then obviously I’ve had the chance to hit with him and get to know him during the latter part of his career. I think for a young player like myself, having that sort of influence and being able to be around that on a daily basis – because Andy is a champion – and to understand his habits and the way he lives his life in order to be a top tennis player definitely gives me a lot of lessons and a lot of confidence that I can hopefully go down the same path.”

On his loss to Ruusuvuori he said:

"I feel like I’m always pretty hard on myself, but I feel like other players maybe keep it in their head for a few days. I’ll definitely get over it quite quickly. I’ll play Eastbourne next week, obviously Wimbledon is around the corner. I can take some positives from this week of course, beating a top player in Taylor but I can also take some lessons from today which is going to help me moving forward.”