“Whenever you need help, I’m here”: French Open Juniors finalist praises Jack Draper for support during ‘struggling’ phase

Jack Draper is now a renowned name in the world of tennis. His heroics on the court have garnered a lot of admirers in recent years, but now his efforts off the court are starting to gain attention as well.

Hannah Klugman, a 16-year-old player from Great Britain, explained how Draper, who was knocked out of the French Open 2025 after losing to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in the fourth round with a score of 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, has helped her in learning things about competing at the highest level. The youngster, speaking to The Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj, shared how the London-born player helped her navigate a difficult phase last year.

“We go through a lot of mentally tough times. Last year, I kind of struggled a bit. He spoke to me a lot,” said Klugman. “He had a time when he also struggled. He really helped me and he’s been someone who’s always there. He said to me, ‘whenever you need help, I’m here for you.’ That was really nice.”

Klugman is currently participating in the French Open Juniors, where she qualified for the final after defeating Rositsa Dencheva with a score of 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. She will face Austria’s Lilli Tagger, who defeated Emerson Jones in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6. Ahead of the big day, Klugman dismissed the notion that British players dislike playing on clay courts and stated that she really ‘likes it’.

“Everyone says the Brits don’t like the clay. But I actually really like it!” said Klugman. “I think it really suits my game. Me and my coach this year, we said let’s do a long bloc on clay. We’ve done two months and I’m really loving it. I’m not ready to get off yet and go to grass.”