Jack Draper set to become British No. 1 for first time in his career, overtaking Cameron Norrie

Jack Draper is poised to become the top-ranked British player for the first time in his career. He will surpass Cameron Norrie to claim the title of British No. 1.

Draper made his ATP Tour main draw debut as a wildcard at the 2021 Miami Open. However, luck was not on his side as he was forced to retire from his first-round match against Mikhail Kukushkin due to a heat-related illness that had caused him to collapse on the court.

Since then, Draper has made a strong comeback and has defated top players like Jannik Sinner, Alexander Bublik, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Lorenzo Sonego, and Diego Schwartzman across various tournaments . On his main draw debut at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, where he faced Novak Djokovic in the first round, Draper even managed to claim the first set 6–4 before the Serb took control of the match and secured a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory.

This season, Jack Draper reached the semifinals at the Mexican Open but had to withdraw from the match in the third set against defending champion Alex de Minaur due to an undisclosed illness. He also reached the quarterfinals at the BMW Open before falling to eventual runner-up Taylor Fritz.

Currently competing at the BOSS Open, Draper defeated Sebastian Ofner 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the first round and then overcame American Marcos Giron 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the second to reach the quarterfinals, where he will face defending champion Frances Tiafoe.

Due to a series of strong performances and a lacklustre season from Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper is set to overtake Cameron Norrie as the British No. 1 player. The 22-year old will be the top British player, followed by Norrie, Daniel Evans and Andy Murray.

Jack Draper: "I’ve been working for so many years and I’m going to continue doing that"

Jack Draper at the 2024 Internazionali BNL D'Italia

Last month, in an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Jack Draper opened up about his transition from junior to professional tennis. He stated that he has has decent results since the move but believes that giving himself more opportunities will help him grow in confidence and achieve a "big result."

“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 told the Guardian.

Draper acknowledged that some people may perceive his success as sudden, but that it is the result of hard work and dedication for many years . He said that he is still continuing his efforts to improve and will continue to do so, so that he can achieve even greater success in the future.

“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.