Legendary coach Patrick Mouratoglou has given Jack Draper a lot of praise because he thinks the British player can compete at the highest level of the game after winning the biggest title of his career in Vienna.
In the ATP 500 final on Sunday, Draper defeated the highly successful Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5 to become the latest member of the Vienna winners list, which also includes Andy Murray, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic.
The 22-year-old is currently ranked at a career-high No. 15 in the world, and Mouratoglou has backed Draper to keep getting better.
Mouratoglou expressed his remarks about Draper and said: “I think he’s a great player. Last year when he won the Ultimate Tennis Showdown [UTS], I think he played incredible tennis for the whole three days. I feel that now he’s much more mature in terms of his game, his game plan, and his game style. Everything looks much more mature. And when you see him win in Vienna, you don’t feel he plays out of his mind. It’s his level. So I think he improved a lot this year.”
He added: “I think the big challenge for him now is to stay injury-free because he’s been injured a lot for someone so young. If he manages to stay injury-free then I think he’s definitely a top-10 player and a player that has huge weapons and potentially has no limits.”
Draper has played more than ever in 2024 despite dealing with a number of illnesses and injury issues. He has already participated in 57 games on the main tour this year.
Mouratoglou concluded: “I feel that his backhand is much better. Before, his backhand was not hurting the opponent much. I saw him play in Vienna, and I thought he was taking the ball much earlier with the backhand, and he can hit the ball full, taking the ball early. So he can hurt players a lot with his backhand which is quite flat. And I feel he has a clear game plan. His game plan, the way he should play, his style is very, very clear now, which was not that obvious before. He’s very solid and he’s very disciplined in what he’s doing. But I think that’s a major improvement he’s made this year.”
The last two men to win on their Vienna debuts…
2014 – @andy_murray 🏆
2024 – @jackdraper0 🏆#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/d3vnzdWJdD— LTA (@the_LTA) October 28, 2024
Jack Draper in 2024
Currently ranked no.15 (career-high), Jack played his last match on the 27th of October when he overcame world no.21 Karen Khachanov 6-4 7-5 in the final in Vienna to win his 2nd career title.
Currently, during this season Jack owns a compiled 37-21 win-loss record. The Brit has won 2 titles in 2024 in Stuttgart and Vienna. Draper got to the final in Adelaide.
Jack Draper will fight against the world no.470 Lucas Poullain in the final. The head to head is 2-0 for Poullain.
The Brit has won 2 titles in 2024 in Stuttgart and Vienna. The Brit reached the final in Adelaide (Adelaide International).
Jack Draper |
| Embed from Getty Images |
Jack Draper in 2024
Now ranked no.15 (career-high), the Brit played his last match on the 27th of October when he beat world no.21 Karen Khachanov 6-4 7-5 in the final in Vienna to win his 2nd career title.
At the moment, during this season Jack achieved a compiled 37-21 record. The Brit has won 2 titles in 2024 in Stuttgart and Vienna. The Brit was the runner-up in Adelaide.
Jack Draper will compete against the world no.470 Lucas Poullain in the final. The head to head is 2-0 for Poullain.
The Brit conquered 2 titles in 2024 in Stuttgart and Vienna. The Brit was the runner-up in Adelaide (Adelaide International).
Jack Draper |
| Embed from Getty Images |
