WATCH: Jack Draper emotionally recalls the pain of being ignored by fellow players in his first Miami Open appearance
He recalled when he first came on the tour at the Miami Open, being ranked 340 in the world. He stated that he wrote down his name for the practice, and no player turned up to practice alongside him.
Photograph: (Jack Draper Opens Up About Emotional Struggles)
Tennis star Jack Draper got emotional while recalling the difficult time he went through as a rookie after accepting a wildcard in the Miami Open in Florida. The British star has consistently performed well in the last two years and now stormed into the new world rank of five in the current ATP rankings thanks to his stellar show on the courts. He made the bold headlines when he won Indian Wells 2025 earlier this year.
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The 23-year-old tennis star has defeated Holger Rune in the summit clash before defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final showdown to get his hands on his first-ever ATP 1000 trophy. The star player was recently asked if being in the fifth spot gets him more respect or banter in the locker room.
WATCH: Jack Draper on his struggling days
While answering this question, Draper took a walk down memory lane. He recalled when he first came on the tour at the Miami Open, being ranked 340 in the world. He stated that he wrote down his name for the practice, and no player turned up to practice alongside him. He got emotional while recalling his struggling days.
Furthermore, Draper feels that players win the matches by playing more. He stated that all the players on the tour are sacrificing their lives and trying to do the right things in tennis to get their goals and gain respect for each other.
"When I first came onto the tour, I remember being 340 in the world, and I got a wild card into the Miami Open, and I wrote my name down for practice, and no one wanted to hit with me. They were all just crossing out my name and putting someone else's name. But obviously, I think as you play more, as you win more matches, as you get to know the players and get to know that we're all the ssame nd we're all sacrificing our lives and trying to do the right thing in tennis and trying to go after our goals — that gains respect," Jack Draper said.
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