"I was like, 'I’m not sure if I have the ability to cope with this'" - Jack Draper on 'overwhelming' transition from juniors to professional tennis

Jack Draper recently opened up about how he struggled with the transition from junior to professional tennis. The British player stated that he felt 'overwhelmed' and doubted his ability to handle the pressure.

Draper made his ATP Tour main draw debut in singles as a wildcard at the 2021 Miami Open. He entered the top 100 rankings, reaching World No. 99 in June 2022, and later broke into the top 50 in October of the same year.

The Brit's best performance in a Grand Slam tournament came at the 2023 US Open, where he reached the fourth round. He defeated Marc-Andrea Huesler in the first round, 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz in the second, and Michael Mmoh in the third to secure his spot in the fourth round.

Draper's campaign at the New York Slam ended when he faced eighth seed Andrey Rublev, who defeated him 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 in a hard-fought match.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Jack Draper reflected on his transition from junior tennis to the professional tour. He candidly shared that he initially believed that his entry into the ATP Tour main draw would be smooth sailing, only to realize that the reality was quite different.

Draper talked about the challenges one faces in competing without the support of a cheering crowd and also spoke about the pressure of facing some of the best players on the Tour.

“When you’re younger, you think tennis is [only] amazing things: Wimbledon, all these sorts of things. Then you get to come out of the juniors and you go and experience the pro tour and it’s not like that at all. You’ve got to grind in these futures. No one’s watching. No one cares about you. You’ve got to beat very, very good players from the off. No points," Draper told the Guardian.

Jack Draper stated that it all felt very "overwhelming" and revealed that he did not believe that he had the ability to cope with such pressure.

"It just seems like you’re at the bottom of the mountain and having that mindset where you’re kind of seeing Mount Everest. It all seems a bit overwhelming and seems a bit too much. And I suppose at that stage, I was like: ‘I’m not sure if I have the ability to really cope with this.’ But I suppose everyone has those stages. They just have to keep going,” he added.

Jack Draper: "Keep giving myself a chance, I’m only going to grow more and more in confidence"

Jack Draper

In the aforementioned interview, Jack Draper stated that the more chances he gives himself, the more he will continue to grow.

“I think even though the results have been decent, the big result is my body, how I’m able to keep playing every week and not break down. I think that’s the most important thing and I keep giving myself a chance, I’m only going to grow more and more in confidence,” Draper said.

Draper said that several people might believe that he gained his success "overnight," which he reiterated was far from the truth as he had to work hard for many years to have the success he is seeing right now.

“You might not see the results straight away but if you’re kind of improving every day, even on the tour, then you’re going to get better and you’re going produce some big results. People will say it’s an overnight success, I’m sure, whenever I do have a big result. But it really isn’t. I’ve been working for so many years and I’m going to continue doing that,” he added.

Jack Draper is currently in Rome to compete at the 2024 Italian Open where he will kick off his campaign by facing Borna Coric in the first round.