Jack Draper’s enforced break from tennis has come at a really unfortunate time for the British number one.
After all, having built up so much momentum in the early part of 2025, a troubled grass-court campaign blighted by illness and injury was the final and lasting memory before missing all of the North American swing.
He is now back and seems totally refreshed, having impressed at the US Open’s new mixed doubles format.
The 23-year-old will be hoping to translate that form into the singles draw.
And, speaking to the LTA, he has recently revealed his two biggest inspirations, both of whom have lifted the title in New York.
Jack Draper names his biggest tennis inspirations
Naturally, Andy Murray’s name was one of the first to come out of his mouth.
In a video that delved back into the archives, going year on year answering the same questions, his response to his biggest inspiration hardly deviated.
The Scotsman was a constant, but Rafael Nadal marked a new addition, as Jack Draper claimed: “You know, Andy and Rafa.
“I think watching, more so for Andy, about what he achieved in the sport, you know, going up against those three guys and watching him play over the years, seeing him go through many different adversities and then coming out, whether that’s winning Wimbledon or the injury stuff and then coming back.
“I think I learned a lot from that and I was a very inspired by that, and I think Rafa just iconic style, the way he competed for every point, the way he went about his tennis as a person on the court, off the court, I think, yeah, those two, you know, Rafa, iconic, Andy, more just so inspired by what he was able to do.”
Gigi Salmon rates Jack Draper’s chances at the US Open
Among a handful of other Sky Sports pundits, Gigi Salmon was one to outline her fears about Draper heading into the US Open.
After all, his absence from tennis over the last few months makes him something of an unknown quantity, despite having had a career-best year thus far, and having reached the semi-finals of this event last year.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
She claimed: “Reports are that Draper has looked great in training, but it is a little bit of an unknown with his absence from the match court.”
Draper has offered a fitness update since Wimbledon, but until he plays that first-round match next week, we can’t really make any accurate predictions on where he’s currently at.