Ahead of the Italian Open, the 22-year-old reveals how he considered quitting the sport after a number of injury setbacks
Over the past couple of years, at the beginning of each new tennis season, the ATP Tour charges some of its top players with predicting the year ahead. It is a bit of fun, a clever way to generate conversation and engagement, but it can also be telling. This year, on the subject of who will win their first title, Andrey Rublev was adamant: “I go with [Jack] Draper again, till he will make it. I was going with him last year, so I go with him again,” he asserted.
As he chats casually from a quiet corner of the Foro Italico before his appearance at the Italian Open this week, Draper smiles at the mention of his biggest fan: “He seems to believe in me a lot,” he says. “I’ve played him a few times. We’ve had some tight battles. Like people say, he’s incredibly nice and what a player, man.”
