A first ATP tour title in Stuttgart, a new career-high ranking of world No.26 and a position on top of the British men’s rankings – it’s certainly been a whirlwind few weeks in the young career of Jack Draper and it’s only set to get better as he prepares to make his Olympic debut.
Draperstole the headlines over the British grass court swing. Off the back of his triumph in Stuttgart where he won his first tour-level title, the 22-year-old went on to become the youngest British No.1 since Andy Murray, became the only player defeat reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz on the grass in two years and arrived at a Grand Slam as a seeded player for the first time.
Now, Draper is switching his attention to his next challenge, as he bids to become an Olympic champion after receiving his first call up for Team GB.
We sat down with the Brit to discuss all things Olympics - his expectations in Paris, being involved in the opening ceremony and his earliest memories of the world's biggest sporting event.
“I’m so excited (to head to the Olympics),” Draper beamed. “Obviously Wimbledon is like the pinnacle for the tennis players - even though the tennis season is long and there are many tournaments after Wimbledon, you’re still sometimes in a lull afterwards because you finish that big event. It’s nice to come off Wimbledon and have something that’s hugely exciting in front of you in the Olympics.
“I’ve never been before so I don’t know what to expect or what’s going to happen but I’m looking forward to that occasion and being back in a team environment like Davis Cup and enjoying it.”
For many athletes, no matter their sport, taking part in the Olympic Games is a life-long dream and a completely unique experience to any other tournament or sporting event in the world.
From wearing the colours and flag of their country to the whole world uniting to celebrate sports, the Olympics is something that’s been a significant part of many people’s upbringing, including Draper’s.
“I remember watching Andy (Murray) play Federer in (London) 2012. It was the year he lost in Wimbledon against Federer and then we were on Centre Court a month later watching him win in the final.
“I remember him hitting this massive serve and chalk came up when he won. It was a legendary moment and I think he’ll admit it himself that kind of set him up for winning those Grand Slams and going onto become No.1 and everything else.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Draper added when asked about playing a role in the opening ceremony. “I’m a huge sports fan so being around other athletes and mixing in with other people who play different sports, have different experiences and different worlds is going to be really interesting. The opening ceremony of the Olympics is such a big deal so I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s all about.”
This summer’s Olympic Games will be staged in Paris with tennis being one of the events taking place in the first week, between 27 July and 4 August.
The tennis draws will be hosted at Roland Garros – the home of the French Open Grand Slam tournament. While Draper suffered an early first round exit at this year’s French Open, the clay court swing also brought moments of joy for the 22-year-old, who made the quarter-finals at the BMW Open and the second rounds at both Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome.
Now forced to shake off his successes on the grass, how does Draper feel about making the transition back to the clay?
“This is my first proper full year on tour, without hopefully being injured. Coming from the grass it’s a bit of an adjustment and obviously after we go onto the hard courts but I think it’s really good for me to learn to adapt to different surfaces.
"Clay is a surface I want to keep improving on and have the ability to play well and win big tournaments on.”
While his priority will be to bring home a career-first Olympic medal, Draper is also looking forward to immersing himself into the Team GB environment alongside Katie Boulter, Cam Norrie and Dan Evans – who will also be making their debuts – as well as the experienced Murray, Joe Salisbury, Neal Skupski and Heather Watson.
“I think everyone, off the back of Wimbledon, is a bit tired and either training or having a break so there hasn’t been much (talk of the Olympics) yet. I’m sure there will be when we’re at St. Pancras at 9:00 in the morning or whenever we’re leaving, it’s going to be a funny train ride put it that way. I’m really excited to be a part of the camaraderie and team environment again.”
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