Tim Henman believes Jack Draper has a strong foundation to help him cope with the surge of interest in him after he claimed his first Masters 1000 title earlier this year.
Draper is currently ranked seventh in the PIF ATP rankings which is a rise of over 30 places compared to 12 months ago. Last year he won his first two tour titles in Stuttgart and Vienna. Between those events, he also reached the semi-finals of the US Open before getting knocked out by Jannik Sinner, who went on to claim the title. Last month, the 23-year-old won the biggest trophy of his career yet in Indian Wells where he beat two top 10 players, as well as Holger Rune in the final.
As a result of his success, Draper’s popularity is rapidly increasing in the sport and the spotlight will be on him when he plays at home during the grass season, which concludes with Wimbledon.
Henman, a former world No.4 and six-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, knows what it is like to cope with the expectations of British fans. Speaking to TNT Sports, he is confident that Draper will be able to deal with the limelight.
“I spoke to his brother Ben, who acts as one of his agents, and he was very aware of how Jack’s profile has just increased massively,” said Henman.
“And obviously with Andy Murray retiring, Jack’s really stepped up to take the mantle of British No. 1 on the men’s side.”
Away from the court, Draper’s endorsements are also on the rise. Recently he was named a global ambassador for fashion house Burberry. He is also a tennis ambassador for Vodafone, has a sponsorship deal with Nike and is represented by management agency IMG.
“Certainly, come Wimbledon, come the grass court season, that spotlight is going to be burning pretty brightly. But I definitely think Jack has the capacity mentally, physically and technically to deal with it. And also, I think he’s got a very good team around him who will provide that support,” Henman continued.
“So yes, it’s still a steep learning curve for Jack. He’s just broken into the top 10, but I think he’s playing brilliant tennis. I still think there’s plenty of areas that he can improve on.
“He’s got a busy clay court season coming up, but it will be exciting when he gets to the grass in the UK.”
Draper will return to action next week at the Monte Carlo Masters which will be his first clay event of the season.
