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Jack Draper feels there are still a lot of people who wouldn't recognize him on the street in Great Britain and thinks that Emma Raducanu's early success and Andy Murray still being around probably put him under the radar a little bit.
Draper, the 2018 Wimbledon boys' singles runner-up, is one of the most promising and talented young players in British tennis. Last week, 21-year-old Draper reached his first ATP final in Montpellier. After a big battle, Draper fell short to home favorite Adrian Mannarino, who beat the Briton 7-6 (6) 2-6 6-3.
By reaching the Montpellier final, the 21-year-old became the youngest British male player to reach an ATP final since Murray in 2009.
Draper asked if he still flying under the radar in the UK
"Yeah, it’s strange in a way, because I feel as though I’m well-known in the tennis community, but maybe less so in the UK generally.
I think people will know my name, but they won’t necessarily recognize me in the street. I think because of the big names and big achievements we’ve had recently with Andy Murray still around and Raducanu’s win at the US Open, maybe I’ve been flying under the radar a little bit more than I otherwise would have.
I obviously missed Wimbledon this summer as well, and a lot of people in the UK – if they aren’t big tennis fans – only watch tennis when Queen’s and Wimbledon come around," Draper told Tennis Majors.
Draper, who achieved a career-high ranking of No 38 in January, is currently ranked at No 61 in the world. With that ranking, Draper is the fourth top-ranked British male tennis player - he is behind Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, and Murray.
Draper maybe didn't win an ATP title this year but he reached his first ATP final - broke into the top-40 for the first time in his career - and he should feel well about the progress made in 2023.