Jack Draper, the British tennis star, has taken inspiration from Emma Raducanu’s sensational 2021 triumph on his way to the semifinals of the US Open. Draper, who will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semifinals on Friday, has not lost a set so far and is aiming for his own fairytale run at the US Open.
The 22-year-old remembers Raducanu’s incredible success well and calls on critics to give her the time she needs to get back to her best form.
Raducanus triumph as motivation
“What Emma has done has been incredibly inspiring,” Draper told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’ve known her for a long time and to see what she has achieved has been just fantastic. I was very proud of her and it fuelled my ambition. We saw Andy Murray win a Grand Slam as a Brit, but her victory was truly a fairytale.” Raducanu won the 2021 US Open as a qualifier and caused a sensation around the world.
However, she has struggled with injuries and fitness issues since then, and her best performance in a Grand Slam since then has been reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon this year. However, Draper is convinced she needs time to get back to full strength.
Patience required for Raducanu’s return
“It’s important that she is given time to develop and improve physically,” said Draper. “It was extremely difficult for Emma because she had only just completed her A-levels and left school.
Suddenly she came here and had this dream run that led her to the title. The expectations after that were huge.” Draper explained that Raducanu did not have the physical foundation to be successful on the tour on a long-term basis.
“You couldn’t expect her to win every week after that triumph. Even though she won one of the biggest tournaments in the world, that doesn’t mean she was immediately ready to compete on the tour week in week out.” Draper is aiming to become the first Briton to win the US Open men’s singles since Andy Murray in 2012.
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