Jack Draper has his sights set on challenging leading stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz after claiming the biggest title of his career by winning the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
The 22-year-old celebrated his first ATP 500 crown following a tense 6-4 7-5 triumph over world No 24 Karen Khachanov in Sunday’s final.
Draper, who won the Stuttgart Open in June – an ATP 250 event – was playing in his second competition since losing to world No 1 Sinner in the US Open semi-finals.
He plans to enter the Paris Masters this week and, following a break in the tennis calendar, hopes to “shake up those guys at the top of the game” next season following an impressive breakout campaign.
“I’m really happy with the way I’ve progressed this year,” said Draper, who guaranteed a top-15 ranking with his performances in the Austrian capital.
“I’ll focus on next week and then I’m going to look forward to having a bit of time off and probably not thinking about tennis.
“It has been a long year and it has taken a lot out of me.
“And then I’ll refresh and I’ll go again for next year with even bigger motivation to really shake up those guys at the top of the game – the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz.
“If I can keep on improving physically and keep on getting more and more experience at this higher level against top players then I’m going to give myself a shot to hopefully be competing with those guys.
“But there’s a lot of work to do.”
Draper became the fourth British player to triumph at the tournament, following in the footsteps of Greg Rusedski, Tim Henman and two-time winner Andy Murray.
He looked set to breeze to victory after going 4-0 up in the second set but was then forced to dig deep when Khachanov threatened a comeback by winning the next five games in a row.
The seventh seed regained his composure at a crucial moment to clinch the trophy in an hour and 35 minutes.
“It feels incredible, it’s been such an amazing week for me,” said Draper.
“I’ve played some amazing tennis and I keep on improving and that’s the main thing.
“It’s been a long year for me with many ups and downs. I knew if I kept on working consistently well with the team then I’m going to keep on having great results.”
If I can keep on improving physically and keep on getting more and more experience at this higher level against top players then I’m going to give myself a shot to hopefully be competing with those guys.
Draper’s progress had been hampered by physical problems prior to this season.
He had managed to stay injury-free before retiring during the ATP Tour event in Tokyo last month after sustaining an abdominal issue, which also caused him to miss the Shanghai Masters.
“I knew coming here I was on good form but I wasn’t too sure how my body was,” said Draper.
“The nature of tennis is brutal because (last year) I was 40 in the world and I got injured for a couple of months and my ranking completely dropped.
“I was back playing Challengers and I felt angry, I wasn’t happy with where I was at. I was working hard but things just weren’t clicking for me.
“I knew if I could just get my body and mind in a good place then my tennis is good enough to play these best players in the world and by having these type of results I’ve got this inner belief now.”
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What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?
- Hong Kong Tennis Open – WTA 250 (October 28 – November 3)
- Jiangxi Open – WTA 250 (October 28 – November 3)
- Merida Open Akron – WTA 250 (October 28 – November 3)
- Rolex Paris Masters – ATP 1000 (October 28 – November 3 – Draper in action)
- WTA Finals Riyadh – (November 2-9)
- Belgrade Open – ATP 250 (November 3-9)
- Moselle Open, Metz – ATP 250 (November 3-9)
- Nitto ATP Finals, Turin – (November 10-17)
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