After Andy Murray’s retirement, British eyes turn to 23-year-old successor Jack Draper 

Jack Draper racked up a lot of firsts in 2024. A year-end Top 15 player for the first time, it was the first calendar year in which the rising star did not play in any ATP Challengers. Cutting his teeth instead full-time at tour level, he delivered with a first Grand Slam semifinal run in New York, and his first (two) ATP singles titles were earned at the 250 and 500 levels.

“There were so many great players in the draw, to win my first ATP 500 title feels incredible,” Draper said after toppling Karen Khachanov to win Vienna in October. “I’m incredibly happy, I’m so proud of myself and my team.

"All the work we’ve put in, it’s for moments like this.”

It’s been an uphill battle for the lefty, in more ways than one. But the path towards emerging as the leading light in the generation of British men following in Andy Murray's legendary footsteps, began when he became the first British player to qualify for the ATP Next Gen Finals in 2022, sparking an inner belief to make it big.

“Anybody who has watched Jack consistently will see glimpses of unbelievable tennis,” says James Trotman, Draper’s coach. “Adding layers, being brave in the right moments, it’s doing a little bit more with the balls, it’s making sure you see the short ball and the opportunity to take it.”

Cameron Norrie, the British No. 1 for the last three years before Draper wrestled the perch from him, turned pro after a college tennis career at age 22 in 2017, and came out swinging. At the same age, Draper has six touring seasons and nearly half Norrie's haul of titles to his name. While there’s a seven-year difference between the southpaws, Draper started to close the gap quickly in the last 12-plus months, as Norrie slipped from his one-time Top 10 perch.

Now 23 and looking ahead into a seventh professional season, Draper is cautiously hungry for more. But one stumbling block continues to be in his way: Though his resume of achievements has yet to enter Murray territory, his injuries have similarly mounted. Draper is to miss United Cup and Davis Cup at the beginning of 2025 due to a hip injury, and hopes to be healthy for the Australian Open.

Hopefully, the calendar works in favor of his recovery so that Britain’s newest mark can snag a few more titles under his belt and perhaps see a second Grand Slam semifinal run–minus the vomit, ideally.

“This is my first proper year, I'd say, because of all my injuries and all my setbacks, so I'm a few years behind almost,” Draper said at the US Open during the summer. “I think I just need to keep on learning, keep on growing, keep on having situations like today where I came unstuck and, you know, how am I going to do it different next time and all these types of things.”

“I think it's just a matter of time,” added Draper, who was ranked outside the Top 100 in 2023. “I think one of the things this year that has helped me to sort of be better is, you know, I’m mentally a lot better.”

Also to be expected on his calendar this year are Fashion Week RSVPs. Just as many of the top young ATP stars today, like Jannik Sinner with Gucci and Carlos Alcaraz with Louis Vuitton, Draper too  is in his fashion era. Spotted front row at Burberry Summer show in London this year along with Olympic medalists and Anna Wintour herself, Draper is leaning into the off-court tennis aesthetic. Perhaps in 2025 he’ll even be walking the runway, following Matteo Berrettini and Taylor Fritz’s surprise appearance with Hugo Boss in Milan.

Read all about our 2024 ATP Fashionistas here.

Although leaning into the tennis aesthetic isn’t required, off-court moments like these can help reset a player’s mind, and endear them to fans. But Draper already knows firsthand how fickle the tennis-watching audience can be. Earlier this year, for example, controversy in Cincinnati triggered internet critiques about his sportsmanship.

“I’ve never been in that situation before, where suddenly you’re getting criticism from people,” Draper told press after his first-round match in Flushing Meadows. “When you’re getting comments about cheating and lying, that’s difficult. It definitely plays on your mind.

“It was a good experience to have those emotions and those feelings, and have to block it out and focus on what’s important.”

With the incident occurring just before his first-ever Grand Slam semifinal run in New York, Draper noted how necessary a mental reset was in order to regain focus and belief in his game. Whether or not they realize, fans are the backbone to a player’s success. And for Draper, adding in "following Murray’s footsteps" and a sprinkle of injury, there is much for them to to respect about how far he's already come.

Tennis-wise, he’s just getting started. But he has experienced every high and low that the game has to offer: from winning your first title to taking ill during a Grand Slam semifinal, from ongoing injury recovery and rehab to fashion-show moments with celebrities.

At 23 years old, it’s ultimately not too to shabby be Jack Draper, and there’s still so much left(y) for him to discover.

“Right now," he says, "I'm giving myself the best chance to progress and beat the best players in the world."