“They were all just crossing out my name and putting someone else’s name” : Jack Draper recalls being snubbed as a rookie at the Miami Open
Not many tennis players have seen a rise as meteoric as Jack Draper has in the last couple of years. Struggling to break into the top 100, the Briton achieved his career high ranking of world number five in May 2025. Jack Draper has been among the most consistent players on the tour this season, lifting his first Masters title at Indian Wells in March earlier this year.
Recently, Jack Draper recalled his earlier days as a rookie at the Miami Open. The Briton was emotional about how he felt sidelined after accepting the wildcard for the Miami Open, when he was ranked 350th in the ATP Rankings.
“When I first came onto the tour, I remember being 340 in the world, and I got a wild card into the Miami Open, and I wrote my name down for practice, and no one wanted to hit with me. They were all just crossing out my name and putting someone else’s name,” Jack Draper said.
However, Jack Draper stated that all players understand that they are in the same boat, which leads to mutual respect among each other. “But obviously, I think as you play more, as you win more matches, as you get to know the players and get to know that we’re all the same, and we’re all sacrificing our lives and trying to do the right thing in tennis and trying to go after our goals — that gains respect. And so I think, combined with results and just the person, I think that, ultimately leads to more respect,” he added.
Jack Draper believes breaking into Top 100 was the hardest things he has ever done
Jack Draper also recalled the difficulties and challenges about playing at the Challenger, and Future events whilst trying to make his way up the ATP Rankings. The Briton believes that a player has to compete at unfamiliar places, and has to compete in front of almost no crowds.
“People think it’s all glitz and glamour, when actually, coming up through the ranks in the Futures, the Challengers — there’s thousands of players who are hungry to be in this position, inside the world’s Top 100. And you have to go to some not amazing places and compete in front of no people and stay in the same place for a long time,” Jack Draper said.
Jack Draper believes that breaking into the top 100 was among the hardest things he has ever done. “Mentally, that’s very challenging. Of course, it has a lot of ups to it as well — the winning and that sort of stuff — but it’s a very lonely road to get to that point. So I’d definitely say breaking the Top 100 was something that, you know, I’ll look back on as — that’s one of the hardest things I’ve done yet,” he added.
Jack Draper has had a stellar clay court season so far, where he reached the finals of the Madrid Open, where he lost to Casper Ruud in three sets. He also reached the quarterfinals of the Italian Open, where he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. Heading into the French Open, he will certainly be expected to reach the latter rounds.
