Fearless Draper revels on US Open return as physique holds up for greatest run
I
t is a mark of the standing through which Jack Draper is held within the sport that nobody who has watched him on his approach to the fourth spherical of the US Open is in in the least stunned.
And nobody, from his fellow gamers to coaches and commentators, is saying he can’t proceed his journey, regardless that his subsequent opponent within the final 16 on Monday is the No8 seed Andrey Rublev, a person with considerably extra expertise.
That consists of Rublev, who can be making an attempt to make the quarter-finals of a Slam for the ninth time in his profession.
“Jack is a very talented player, he’s playing really good,” Rublev mentioned forward of their conflict right here in New York.
“We had a couple of matches which were really tough. I like his style of playing a lot. He has a huge serve, really great forehand, great backhand and can play aggressive. He has everything to become a top player.”
What makes Draper’s run to the fourth spherical of a Slam for the primary time much more outstanding is that he had performed barely any tennis over the previous few months.
When the left-hander sustained a shoulder damage on the French Open in May, he thought he could be again on courtroom in per week.
Instead, he missed Wimbledon and even the week earlier than the US Open, when he felt some ache throughout the Winston-Salem occasion, he rated himself a 30-70 probability to even play right here.
But proper from the beginning, the 21-year-old has checked out dwelling, revelling on his return to Flushing Meadows, the place he reached the third spherical final yr.
A primary-round win over Radu Albot was adopted by a surprising straight-sets win over No17 seed Hubert Hurkacz and he saw off Michael Mmoh in four sets to advance to week two.
In February this yr, Draper reached a career-high rating of 38. In his absence from the Tour, he has slipped to 123, however his run right here will take him near the highest 100 and, ought to he beat Rublev, he can be inside the highest 80 once more.
After going by means of a collection of accidents, there’s a maturity to Draper which may not have been so evident had issues all been simple. Nothing appears to faze him an excessive amount of, which helps him on courtroom when issues get powerful. And inside, there’s a actual metal.
Tough check: Russian eighth seed Andrey Rublev now stands between Draper and a spot within the US Open quarter-finals
/ AP“I’m not here just to be here and be happy to play,” he mentioned. “I’m a competitor when I get into the matches. I want to win everything.
“Definitely at the start of the week, there was real concern about my body and, with the year I’ve had, whether I’d be able to, you know, play one match. Obviously, best-of-five sets, it’s completely different to what a three-set match even holds.
“To come here this week and to play the way I have and to compete the way I have, and for my body to hold up… it’s been pretty special for me, really.”
The good factor for Draper is that, as Dan Evans identified, he doesn’t worry anybody.
“He’s sure of his game and he’s very good at tennis and he’s not fussed about a ranking or a name,” Evans mentioned. “That’s a good thing and he’s impressive when he plays against the good players.”