"Emma Raducanu has always been there for me, I've always been there for her" - Jack Draper

In an interview with The Times ahead of the Happy Slam, Jack Draper opened up about his compatriot Emma Raducanu. He hailed the 2021 US Open champion's cheerful personality and said they have supported each other through trying times.

Draper said:

“She has always been there for me. I’ve always been there for her. She’s extremely bubbly, very kind, very thoughtful, always giggling, really smart. A really, really, really good girl.”

While Draper made huge strides last year reaching the semifinals of the US Open, Raducanu has struggled to return to her best level due to various injury troubles. In an interview last month, the 23-year-old shared his support for his fellow Brit superstar and said he believed in her potential.

Furthermore, before his semifinal clash against Jannik Sinner at the New York Major last year, Jack Draper hailed Emma Raducanu's character. He shared how she inspired him to become a better player. The two players have often been linked together in the past.

---

"I’ve known Emma Raducanu from a young age and to see what she did was incredible" - Jack Draper

Jack Draper - Source: Getty

While speaking to the media before the 2024 US Open semifinals, Jack Draper recalled Emma Raducanu's staggering 2021 US Open triumph as an 18-year-old. His own breakthrough run in which he reached his first Major semifinal was ended by the eventual champion Jannik Sinner 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2 at the tournament.

“What Emma did was obviously incredibly inspiring. I’ve known her from a young age and to see what she did was incredible. I was very proud of her, very excited, watching it thinking, obviously we’ve watched the likes of Andy Murray winning a Grand Slam from Great Britain, but her winning, it was just really a fairytale run. I definitely think as a competitor, it fuelled my fire. I really wanted to achieve what she’d done, winning a Grand Slam.”

Both Brits are currently competing at the 2025 Australian Open. While Raducanu will look to turn the fortunes in her favor in her opening-round match against 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, 15th seed Draper is currently engaged in a hard duel against Mariano Navaone. The Argentine is leading 2-1.