"Playing for my country is up there with the most important things” - Jack Draper prepared to lead the Brits in remaining Davis Cup ties
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Jack Draper captured the attention of the tennis world over the last few weeks after his sensational run to the US Open semi-finals. Now, all eyes are back on the young British star as he prepares to spearhead his country to Davis Cup glory at the AO Arena in Manchester.
Draper arrived in Manchester a couple of days later than the rest of the team, but has now joined up with his Lexus Great Britain Davis Cup teammates as they fight for a spot in the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga later this year.
The British No.1 stole the headlines at the US Open after he joined an elite club of British tennis players to have reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam.
Despite being denied a spot in the final by world No.1 Jannik Sinner, Draper still took plenty of positives from the fortnight in New York which he’s bringing with him over the next few days at the Davis Cup.
We sat down with the British star who reflected on his triumph at Flushing Meadows, his dedication to representing his country at the Davis Cup and his memories from a dream debut last time out in Manchester.
“I feel amazing,” Draper said, ahead of the Brits' first Group Stage tie. “Obviously, I’ve been working hard for a long period of time now and it’s nice to see a good few results come together. On the big stage at the US Open was really good for me but I’m back here at Davis Cup and I want to keep striving for more, that’s my mentality and I’m looking forward for what’s to come next.
“When I got back from the US Open, I was feeling quite tired and felt mixed emotions but there was no doubt in my mind I wanted to be here. Playing for my country is one of the most important things for me - it’s a chance to be with the team, and be part of that environment again.
“Through my experiences with Davis Cup in the past and having such amazing memories, I think that definitely helps so I’m pumped to be here and I’m going to compete hard."
Davis Cup is a huge competition - we give it our all and it's something I wouldn’t want to miss.
Just 12 months ago, Draper was battling back from a number of injury setbacks which saw him have to watch the grass court season unfold from the sidelines. As a result, the Brit’s ranking dropped from a, then, career-high ranking of No.40 to 123 and he was left with no other option but to start his rise up the ATP rankings once again.
The Brit entered last year’s Group Stages in Manchester brimming with confidence off the back of a fourth round appearance in New York, and was given the trust of Lexus Great Britain Davis Cup Team Captain, Leon Smith, who handed Draper his debut against Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Draper lost out in a tight opening set tie-break before flipping the match on its head to seal a dream debut in front of his teammates and home crowd.
“It was amazing last year, to have my debut here at home. The match win against Kokkinakis was an incredible experience for me and was one of my most memorable moments last year and will go on in my career as being a huge moment for me playing in front of Andy (Murray), Cam (Norrie) and the full crowd.
“It was a really positive experience. Malaga was a great experience as well and is something that has stayed with me. I really felt like that was I match I had to win and I didn’t – it’s not something that has sat well with me so I want to do my best from here on out to perform and develop for the team.
“It’s been incredible - forget the tennis, I’ve grown a lot as a person (since then). The experiences of going through all the injuries I’ve had and having to fight my way back – this time last year I was ranked outside the top 100 after being 40 in the world and my perspective changed so much.”
“It really goes to show how much a year can do in someone’s life and I feel great. I’ve learnt about perseverance - when I was younger, I was always really panicky and wondering whether this was going to happen or that was going to happen. People always say if you work hard and have the right intentions then good things come your way and most times you don’t want to think like that but it’s important to know that is the case. If you have the right mindset, workrate and try and do your best then good things are going to come.”
Now, just one year on from his debut, the new British figurehead will be leading the Great British team as their highest ranked player. Although Smith opted to rest Draper for their opening 2-1 victory against Finland, the world No.20 is ready for the upcoming challenges across the remainder of the week and could be crucial to the team’s hopes of topping Group D.
Draper is joined in Manchester by Dan Evans and Neal Skupski, who formed part of last year’s team that secured their ticket to Malaga, and two new faces in breakthrough star Billy Harris – who won on his Davis Cup debut against Otto Virtanen on Wednesday - and 2024 Wimbledon men’s doubles champion Heny Patten.
Despite opponents Argentina and Canada awaiting them in the next two ties, Draper had nothing but praise for his British teammates and is confident they have the quality to carry themselves to a second successive Finals in Malaga in November.
“Dan – what a legend, what a character he is. He’s an unbelievable competitor and a great guy to be around. We’ve got Billy Harris who’s knocking on the top 100 door - if you don’t know much about Billy and his story then it’s one of the most inspirational players and journeys I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s gone through it all to be in this position and deserves all the success, credit and rewards of doing the hard yards.
“Henry’s new to the team and is obviously Wimbledon champion, an amazing character again – someone who’s like a big friendly giant, a great sense of humour. Then we’ve got Neal who’s got so much experience and helped us win the tie against France last year.”
The Lexus Great Britain Davis Cup team will continue their campaign against Argentina on Friday 13 September. Matches will start at 13:00 BST and will be available to watch via Tennis Channel FAST channels, as well as BBC red button, BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer.
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