JACK DRAPER is the heir to Andy Murray’s throne as the poster boy of British tennis.
And that was made crystal clear after Murray was forced to withdraw from the singles event at Wimbledon.
Muzza’s loss was Draper’s gain as he was bumped up to Centre Court, where he faced Swedish slugger Elias Ymer.
And he produced a performance the recently-retired Murray would’ve been proud of in a truly epic five-set marathon.
Those in the know had earmarked Draper as the next great hope of British tennis long before the tournament.
But that display against Ymer at SW19 showed the British public that we may not have to wait as long before a home hero follows in Murray’s footsteps and wins Wimbledon.
Following in Murray’s footsteps is exactly what Draper is doing at the US Open.
The 22-year-old is in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, with only Jannick Sinner and the winner of the all-American clash between Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe standing between him and the trophy.
Draper has been ferocious on the court throughout the tournament.
But away from the court, the clamour for the strapping Draper, who stands at 6ft4in, is just as fierce.
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Earlier this year, he appeared in glam photoshoots for fashion bibles Vogue and Tatler.
In the former, he confessed his love for being in front of the camera, while discussing his blossoming modelling career, in which he is signed to the world-renowned agency IMG.
Draper has come a long way from the Surrey village of Ashtead.
With bouffant hair, designer stubble, a fixed gaze and his slender figure hugged by Louis Vuitton wear, Draper looked the part in Vogue’s July issue.
He confessed to the magazine: “I quite enjoy being in front of the camera.,” adding: “If I’m looking good, that is.”
Which is exactly how the talent scouts at IMG saw it, signing him up on a separate modelling contract.
But Draper understands fashion, and he’s not afraid to change up his look.
It could certainly make him the poster boy of tennis in years to come.
Speaking about his haircuts, he said: “I’ve done a buzzcut, mohawk, mullet…”
With an estimated wealth already of around £2.3million, thanks to prize money and deals with Dunlop, Nike and Vodafone, he’s also sure to be big business too.
Brands have taken note of his pulling on social media.
His Instagram account is gathering traction, and features plenty of photos that will have a female audience swooning.
While on TikTok, #JackDraper videos have been watched over 200,000 times.
Aside from his obvious good looks, Draper poses plenty of talent on the court.
He is now up to 28 in the world, a career high ranking.
Draper first showed signs of an ability at tennis aged just one, when he hit a ball against the garage door of his home.
It was his grandmother’s influence who inspired him to pick up a racket.
Brenda, a former tennis coach and player, is unfortunately now battling Alzeheimer’s.
Heartbreakingly, she isn’t aware that the seed she planted is now blossoming into such a success.
By three he began tennis coaching with his mum’s toddler group at Sutton Tennis and Squash Club.
Then at five he was being coached by Justin Sherring at Weybridge Tennis Academy at Parkside School twice a week.
Draper then moved to the posh boarding school Reed’s in Cobham, where Tim Henman was also a pupil.
They famously offered scholarships after a physical test: to run until you dropped.
It was that early grounding that has served him well so far in life.
Draper comes from good stock.
His dad Roger is a former chief executive of Sport England and the Lawn Tennis Association.
Mum Nicky is a a former junior British Tennis Champion.
Together, they manage their son’s progress carefully.
She monitors his accounts, while brother Ben – his very own doppelganger – is his manager.
“It’s really nice to have people who you love – and you know they have your back at every turn – around you on a day-to-day basis,” Jack told BBC Sport.
“That’s what keeps the feet on the ground, that’s what keeps you motivated and ultimately keeps you sane in the sport.”
SIR Andy Murray is Great Britain's most successful tennis player of the Open era.
After breaking through in 2005 to reach the Wimbledon third round at 18, the Scot was British No1 by the following year.
In 2008 he reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, only to fall to Roger Federer in straight sets.
Two more final defeats at the Australian Open to Federer and Novak Djokovic followed in 2010 and 2011 before heartbreak at Wimbledon in 2012.
Despite taking the first set against Federer, he fell 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 in front of a home crowd before breaking into tears on Centre Court.
But a month later on the same court he beat the Swiss legend to earn Team GB a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics.
And weeks after that he broke his Grand Slam duck at the fifth attempt, beating Djokovic in five sets in the US Open final.
In 2013, following another Australian Open final loss, Murray beat Djokovic in straight sets to become the first British man in 77 years to win the Wimbledon title.
Three more losing Grand Slam finals followed, at the 2015 and 2016 Australian Opens and the 2016 French Open.
But in his third Grand Slam final of 2016, Murray won Wimbledon again with a straight sets victory over Canadian Milos Raonic.
He followed it up with his second Olympic gold medal, beating Juan Martin del Potro in a four-hour epic in the final in Rio de Janeiro.
Later in 2016 Murray became world No1 – the first British man to do so in history.
Over his career Murray reached 11 Grand Slam finals, winning three. He won two Olympic golds and a silver (in the mixed doubles alongside Laura Robson).
He finishes his career with 46 titles and over £50million in earnings, making him the fourth all-time leader in earnings.
His final match was at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he lost in the quarter-final of the men’s doubles at Roland Garros to USA pair Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz.
He added: “Part of the reason I’ve got to this stage is that I’ve been fortunate enough to have an older brother I was able to hit with and compete against – have that sibling rivalry.
“I remember when we were younger the only time we played against each other, he beat me and that just killed me, even though he’s four years older than me.”
Unusually, Draper plays left-handed even though he is naturally right-handed.
This gives him the chance to play a backhand like a second forehand.
Back in June, Draper beat Matteo Berrettini at the 2024 BOSS Open in Stuttgart to lift his maiden title.
A week later, he shocked the Queen’s Club by eliminating the reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.
That prompted the young Spaniard to call Draper a “contender” at SW19.
Standing in his way of progress, though, is Norrie who reached the semi-finals in 2022.
Off the court, the British stars, including Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter, share a strong friendship.
“It’s nice to have a camaraderie among the players and constantly push each other to be better,” he told Vogue.
Expect that fondness to be pushed to the limits when he and Norrie meet in the third round on Thursday.
Draper’s exploits as of late have drastically increased his financial muscle.
He’s now reported have a net-worth of £2.3m
That figure, however, will likely soar in the coming years due to brand deals and any prize money he receives.
