Jack Draper has sent a bold message to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz after clinching the most significant title of his career at the Vienna Open. The British tennis star expressed his determination to “really shake up” the top echelon of players next year, naming both Sinner and Alcaraz as key rivals.
In a thrilling final, Draper showcased his aggressive playing style to defeat Karen Khachanov with a score of 6-4, 7-5. This victory at the ATP 500 tournament marks his second title of the season, following his earlier triumph at the ATP 250 in Stuttgart back in June.
With an impressive 37-21 record this year, Draper has surged to a career-high ranking of world No. 15. After his victory over Khachanov, he reflected on his journey in 2024 and shared his aspirations for the upcoming year.
“I’m really happy with the way I’ve progressed this year,” he remarked. “I’ll focus on next week and then I’m going to look forward to having a bit of time off and probably not thinking about tennis. It has been a long year, and it has taken a lot out of me.”
He continued, “When I refresh, I’ll come back next year with even bigger motivation to really challenge those guys at the top of the game—like Sinner and Alcaraz. If I can keep improving physically and gain more experience competing against top players, I’ll give myself a shot at going toe-to-toe with them. But there’s still a lot of work ahead.”
Reflecting on his journey through the Vienna tournament, Draper described the experience as exhilarating. “It feels incredible; it’s been such an amazing week for me. I’ve played some fantastic tennis, and I keep on improving, which is the main thing.”
He acknowledged the ups and downs he faced throughout the year, stating, “It’s been a long year with many challenges. I knew that if I continued to work consistently with my team, great results would follow.”
Draper revealed that despite his good form, he had concerns about his physical condition going into the tournament. “The nature of tennis is brutal. Last year, I was ranked No. 40 in the world, but after a couple of months of injury, my ranking plummeted. I found myself back playing Challengers and felt frustrated with my situation.”
“I realized that if I could get my body and mind aligned, my tennis skills were good enough to compete against the best in the world. Achieving results like this has given me a newfound inner belief,” he added.
As he gears up for the Paris Masters, Draper is set to face Jiri Lehecka in his opening round this week.