Jack Draper Believes Players have Plans to Catch up With Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Jack Draper drops out of the top 20 after failing to defend the Indian Wells Open.

Jack Draper Believes Players have Plans to Catch up With Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ, British Tennis Players, Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

In Short
  • Jack Draper aims to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz this season after returning from injury.
  • He believes aggressive play is essential to compete against top players like Sinner and Alcaraz.
  • Draper is currently preparing for the Miami Open, despite a mixed record at the tournament.

Less than a month back from a long injury, Jack Draper is already laying down his goals for this season. Following his impressive run at the Indian Wells Open, he has admitted he plans to challenge the two best players on the men’s circuit, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, this season.

Draper didn’t play competitively for six months following a shoulder injury and bone bruising. He had performed at his best level before the injury, winning one WTA 1000 final and reaching two tournament finals.

He was very impressive during the clay-court season, a period when he normally struggles on the surface. The 24-year-old finally returned from injury at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where he won just one match.

At the Indian Wells Open, he claimed an excellent victory against former World No.1 and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to Daniil Medvedev in three sets.

Draper is currently in Miami, where he will challenge for the ATP 1000 Masters title. The British No.1 understands that he’s not yet at his best level due to the months on the sidelines, but he believes he has what it takes to compete against Alcaraz and Sinner on the court. He has defeated Alcaraz twice, while beating Sinner once.

The World No.26 knows how to compete against Sinner and Alcaraz, and even when he loses to them, he’s never wholly outmatched by their quality. During his press conference ahead of his opening match at the Miami Open, Draper admitted that the only way to overcome Sinner and Alcaraz on tour is by aggressively going for every point:

Players know what Alcaraz and Sinner are doing, what they base their game on since reaching the top, even for a while. There comes a time when you have to change, you don’t have another option. Names like Medvedev, Zverev… are probably tired of losing in the final stages of tournaments to opponents who are very aggressive, who go for points. I think this is how tennis is played right now: you have to go to win, not just let victory happen. I would define it that way.

Recent weeks have proven that Alcaraz and Sinner are not undefeatable on the court. At the Qatar Open, Jakub Mensik got his tactics right with his serves and defeated Sinner in three sets. In Indian Wells, Medvedev played one of his best matches in years to beat Alcaraz in straight sets, ending Alcaraz’s 16-match winning streak.

Jack Draper believes he is on the right track with his recovery from injury

One of Jack Draper’s weaknesses has been injuries. Each time the British star grows in confidence and competes at the highest level, injuries often draw him back a little. It was only in the 2024 season that he didn’t suffer a major injury that kept him out for months, but he dealt with physical issues.

Jack Draper
Jack Draper (Image via X/Bastien Fachan)

At the Indian Wells Open, he admitted after losing to Daniil Medvedev that he felt gassed toward the end of the match after exerting so much energy during his round of 16 win. During an interview with Sky Sports, he noted that he believes he’s on the right track in his full recovery from a six-month injury layoff:

When you’ve had a lot of injuries in the past, you’re able to understand that if you put in good preparation when you’re injured, that anything is possible and you can get back to playing at a really high level. I’ve always been pretty good like that, even though it’s probably not the best thing to be. I don’t want to be injured, but those matches have helped me understand how I need to keep on improving and growing.

Nonetheless, Draper’s record at the Miami Open is nothing to write home about. He has won just two of his six matches at the tournament. Last year, after winning the Indian Wells Open, he lost to Jakub Mensik in the second round. This year, he will face Reilly Opelka or Nuno Borges in his opening match.

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