JackDraper
Falling in love with the game
My tennis journey started when I was really young, probably 2 years old. My mum was a tennis coach, and when she was coaching, my brother and I would hang around trying to entertain ourselves. I quickly picked up a racket and started hitting against the wall.
Being a lefty, I loved watching how Nadal would use his lefty serve and forehand to his advantage. But being British, I grew up watching and supporting Andy Murray. Watching a British player compete, and win, at the highest level inspired me to pursue my goal of competing on the tour.
I enjoy interacting with people and seeing what impact my tennis can have on people of all ages and backgrounds. Hopefully, I can inspire young and upcoming juniors to play on the tour one day.
My ultimate goal is to be happy.
My best so far
One of my proudest moments was getting into Wimbledon without a wild card. I know that might sound strange, but I received a wildcard the previous year and thought next year I want to be here on my own merit. Wimbledon is my favourite tournament – being British and playing on home soil in front of a home crowd, it doesn’t get any better.
One of my biggest moments was winning back-to-back Challenger events. Despite the fact that I have played on bigger stages this year, there is nothing quite like winning an event.
I want to maximize my potential – whatever that might be. To look back and say I gave it all I could have.
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Motivation
I think my main motivation is to get the most out of myself and reach my potential, whatever that might be. I never want to look back on my career with any regrets. I get one shot at it, so I would say the fear of regret is a great motivator for me.
As a tennis player, life can be quite one-dimensional as there isn’t too much time to learn new skills. So I guess a challenge for me is to learn other skills outside of tennis.
Day in. Day out.
Travelling can get tough and time away from home is difficult. I am lucky to have such a great team with me who supports me, and we try to have as much fun as possible during tournaments. There tends to be a lot of time to kill, so playing cards and other games are a good distraction.
When I have a few days off, I like doing simple things – going for a walk or going out for a meal. Life on the tour is hectic so having some relaxed downtime is important. Football, F1, golf, darts are some of my favourites. But I like all sports. I like looking at the challenges I face playing tennis and thinking about the similarities and differences that other athletes must face.
My pro tips
My best tips for young players are to try to enjoy yourself, don’t put too much pressure on yourself and commit to making long-term improvements even if it means taking one step back to take two steps forward.
In tennis, you have to have a short memory. You get opportunities on a weekly basis. You could have played the worst match of your life one day, but then the next week you could win a tournament. You could be doing all the right things, but get terrible draws and lose 4 weeks in a row first round. I guess you have to try to stay balanced and realise that’s part of being a tennis player – and bounce back quickly.
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