Jack Draper became British No 1 on June 17 after winning the Stuttgart Open, but it feels like he only truly became the face of men’s tennis in this country on August 1, when Andy Murray finally retired.
As 22-year-old Draper prepares to lead us into the uncertain territory of the post-Murray era at the US Open, where he will take on China’s Zhizhen Zhang in the first round, Mail Sport takes a trip to the tennis club where it all began.
The train from London St Pancras into the leafy suburbs terminates at Sutton, takes a brief pause, and then begins its next route — to Wimbledon. That bears a pleasing symmetry to the trajectory of Draper, whose tennis journey began at Sutton Tennis and Squash Club and carried him due north to the All England Club, and the heights of the professional game.
The clubhouse at Sutton is modest but the courts are high-quality acrylic and Mail Sport visits in one of the busiest weeks of the season. The club is hosting an LTA Tour event for promising juniors and top national players.
As I chat to the locals on courtside benches, a 16-year-old member with a massive serve is battling it out in the final round of qualifying. By that age Draper was already a budding professional but his love for the game was bred here in Surrey.
Jack Draper became British No 1 in July after winning the Stuttgart Open title in Germany
He is preparing to lead his nation into the US Open – the first Grand Slam post-Andy Murray
Mail Sport visited Draper’s first club in Sutton, where it began for the new face of British men’s tennis
His introduction to tennis was strikingly similar to Murray’s: hanging around the local club with his older brother (Ben, now his agent) while his mother coached.
‘Nicky was our head coach and a very talented player herself,’ says Steve Tiddy, a member for more than 35 years. ‘And whenever she came to the club she brought the boys. So Jack and Ben were always around the courts, doing something with a ball or a racket.’
Club secretary Laura Payne chips in: ‘When his mum was coaching, Jack would often be up on a squash court with a tennis racket and a ball playing against the wall — and never missing a shot!’
Were there any signs of the incredible talent that has carried Draper to the world’s top 25?
‘What stood out for me: he was voracious,’ replies Steve. ‘He always wanted a hit, didn’t matter who you were, he was asking everyone, ‘Come on and have a hit’. He had this appetite for wanting to be on a tennis court.’
Adam Freeman watched his sons grow up at Sutton with Jack and Ben Draper, playing in the junior teams. ‘Quite early, you could tell Jack was different,’ he says. ‘He’d easily hold his own against kids three or four years older. He just hit a lovely ball. Everyone looked at him and said, ‘Oh wow’.
‘I remember some of the members saying, ‘I’ll get Jack’s autograph now before he’s famous’. He was only six!’
When Adam and his family moved to Sutton, the club soon became a pillar of their lives. His two sons, Josh and Jools, bonded with the Draper brothers, and Josh and Jack became doubles partners for the Sutton Sharks junior team. Josh is here today, manning the racket stringing machine for the tournament, and as he laces up a Babolat for one of the competitors, we chat about his childhood friend.
Draper was around a tennis court from a young age, due to his mother also playing and coaching the game
‘We live just around the corner so this was our second home basically, we were always here playing with Ben and Jack,’ says Josh. ‘Around the age of seven or eight we started seeing Jack’s skill coming through. He was winning all the regional tournaments.
‘He was quite cheeky, a little personality. Super nice kid. He loved tennis but it wasn’t his main sport, he was always good at football, rugby, golf, cricket.
‘He was super, super competitive. Any time he was losing he really did show it — he had that fire inside. When he lost you knew he’d lost but that was very rare. He was a born winner.’
This hatred of defeat is evidenced by a wonderful photo someone produces of a young Jack in a Scooby-Doo t-shirt looking extremely grumpy having just lost to older brother Ben.
‘What I really do remember is how he would pick me up when I wasn’t playing well at doubles,’ continues Josh. ‘He was like a leader, even though I was three years older. For someone in the spotlight, the way he handles himself is a testament to his character.’
Draper’s lofty talent at this age was not matched by his stature. Strange to think given the hulking 6ft 4in frame he now inhabits, but until his mid-teens he was among the smaller children in his age group.
‘I don’t think he really started growing until he was about 14,’ says Josh. ‘He was super small. And now he’s an absolute giant. Couldn’t see it coming.
‘Because he didn’t have that size, he always had to grow his skills. Normally at that age, the taller kids dominate. But he was still the top kid, despite his size. And now he’s got bigger weapons as well — that scrappiness and consistency.’
Rafael Nadal was Draper’s idol, and, as a fellow left-hander, the man he built his game around
A young Draper looks dejected after losing to brother Ben – who is now his agent – in a game
Josh reveals which scrappy and consistent lefty Draper built his game around. ‘Rafa (Nadal) was his role model,’ he says. ‘As a kid he was always wearing sleeveless tops!’
Ask anyone at Sutton about Jack and they talk to you about Nicky, his mum. A picture emerges which is the polar opposite of the pushy tennis parent railroading a child into the game.
‘Nicky never put any pressure on the kids, she would just make it fun,’ says Adam, who watched Nicky coach his sons as well as her own. ‘She gave them competition and opportunities but there was never any pressure to win; it was just always about fun.
‘Just go and enjoy it, that was her philosophy. She encouraged them to get a love for tennis rather than think about being the best.
‘My wife always said that when Jack was young he’d play a little bit then come off, sit on her lap, eat some biscuits then go back out on the court.
‘Jack’s mum has always been so laid back. You can drive and drive a junior but if it’s not what they want to do they’re never going to get there.
‘Taking the pressure off — that’s the most important thing.’
Josh had first-hand experience of Nicky’s coaching style, and the fact he is still an integral member of the club is further evidence of her ability to foster a love of the sport. ‘She was so down to earth, really easy-going,’ he says. ‘And Jack was treated just like any other kid.’
There are no posters of Draper around the club, but members are proud of the 22-year-old
Draper will begin his US Open campaign against China’s Zhang Zhizhen on Monday
There are no posters of Draper around the club but there is clearly immense pride among the members of the exceptional talent they helped to produce. At a relatively early age he was whisked off and taken under the LTA’s wing, but a visit to Sutton is a reminder of the vital importance of grass-roots clubs.
‘It’s every kid’s dream to go pro but not everyone realises what it takes,’ says Josh. ‘The hard work and all the stuff behind the scenes — people are naive about what it takes.
‘I was one of those people, thinking at the age of 13, 14 it was still possible for me to go pro.
‘I bumped into Jack this year at Wimbledon and we had a very brief catch-up. Seeing this kid I’ve known from such a young age on TV at the US Open and Wimbledon, it’s hard to wrap your head around it. I couldn’t be happier for him.’
