Why Did Jack Draper Fall Out of Love With Tennis? Re-Visiting the ‘Dark Place’ That Forced Him to Consider Retirement

Jack Draper is currently making waves at the Stuttgart Open with his excellence on-court. Drowned in enthusiasm and determination to win, the 22-year-old player is gearing up to face Brandon Nakashima in the semifinal of the tournament. Although his current records in tennis speak volumes about his prowess on-court, the British tennis star’s journey up until now has not been entirely smooth. Having gone through a tumultuous phase in his career, the British tennis pro almost had to set aside his aspirations in tennis.

Jack Draper, who turned pro in 2018, has had a career plagued with several injuries. Although he finished his junior career ranking as No. 7, it took him three more years to debut in his ATP Tour main draw match (Miami Open). However, a year prior to that, Draper almost lost all hopes of pursuing a tennis career. Although the former junior finalist of Wimbledon was ready to hit his racquets with full power, he couldn’t achieve a similar milestone in the ATP circuit. 

Therefore, when lockdown hit, his interest in tennis started declining. His uncertainty regarding his future in tennis grew as he struggled with his form on-court after that. What added more to this were his back-to-back injuries. Although he came back on-court with more vigor, his fate had other plans as he suffered from shoulder and abdominal injuries. However, even then, his struggles persisted as he collapsed on-court while battling in his first-round match there. Nevertheless, he continued his journey. 

However, he didn’t give up. After clinching his first-ever Masters 1000 win in Miami back in 2022, Draper showed the world that he is not done yet. Although he struggled with his cramps during the Australian Open in 2023, his love for tennis helped him overcome all the difficulties. 

His debut at Roland Garros ended abruptly due to a shoulder injury in his first-round match. The injury forced him to miss the entire grass season. He bounced back at the US Open, defeating three players including 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz before falling to Andrey Rublev. He reached the final of the Open d’Orléans Challenger and later claimed the Trofeo Faip–Perrel title, propelling him back into the top 100. He capped off a strong year with a surprise run to the final of the Sofia Open, defeating top seed Lorenzo Musetti and becoming the youngest Briton to reach an ATP final since Andy Murray in 2009.

As a result of his tremendous willpower in 2024 till now, Jack stands tall as the No. 1 male singles British player. Now doubts about his future do not worry him as much as it did before. Instead, his recent interview sheds light on how he is “proud” of his level.

Jack Draper is “incredibly happy” after his latest match in the Stuttgart Open

Jack Draper had an impressive victory over Frances Tiafoe in his quarterfinal match yesterday. Finishing with a score of 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(1), the British tennis pro defied all the odds and claimed his spot in the semifinals scheduled today. Naturally, during the post-match interview, he was found in good spirits.

“I am incredibly happy. My last three tie-breaks in the third set I have lost them all, so to come through today is amazing and I am really proud of my level. I am really happy with how I served and it was a really high-quality match.

After all, hitting 31 aces and reaching his 6th ATP Tour semifinal is indeed a great achievement for him. However, right now his focus is on winning his maiden ATP Tour title there. As he moves forward with his game, not only him, but the tennis fans are also happy that he didn’t lose his interest in tennis after all a few years ago.