Life as an elite tennis pro can be a lonely grind. Traveling to the far reaches of the globe in a high-pressure environment for 11 months out of the year can take its toll on a young player, but Jack Draper, 22, and Jannik Sinner, 23, can take solace in the fact that they can reach out to the other if they ever need a helping hand.
World No. 1 Sinner and 25th-ranked Draper won’t be sharing any trade secrets ahead of Friday’s blockbuster US Open men’s singles semifinal in Arthur Ashe Stadium, but the pair’s blossoming friendship will remain intact regardless of who wins.
“We've always kept in touch since I've been on tour the last couple of years. Jannik is a good friend, someone I'm definitely close to,” Draper told reporters this week in New York after reaching his maiden Grand Slam semifinal.
The rising Brit says that he and Sinner keep in touch even when they aren’t in the same city. Forging that connection has helped him survive and thrive on tour.
“We send each other messages in good moments, bad moments,” Draper revealed. “It's a tough sport to play when you're a young guy. You're on the road, you're playing such a relentlessly intense sport, both physically, emotionally, and it's difficult, we haven't got many friends.
“So to sort of have the support of someone who's going through it themselves is really big.”
This summer Draper and Sinner shared the doubles court for the first time as pros in Montreal and won through to the quarterfinals at the Masters 1000 event. It was a great chance for the pair to have some fun together, and to work on their doubles chops.
“It was nice to share the court with him in doubles in Montreal,” top-seeded Sinner said on Wednesday after defeating Daniil Medvedev to reach his first US Open semifinal.
“We text each other when we have good or bad times, trying to keep each other [positive]. It's a great friendship. Obviously we try to put this away for the hours we are on court [against each other]. I think that's quite obvious. But whenever we shake hands, it's again friendship back and all is going to be good.”
Draper, who defeated Sinner in their only previous meeting, on the grass at Queen’s Club in 2021, says it was special to share the court with someone he looks up to.
“Huge respect for Jannik and it was amazing to play doubles with him in Montreal,” he said. “I'd never won a doubles match on the tour, so to play with the No.1 [singles] player in the world was amazing and I definitely learned a lot about playing doubles and had a lot of fun with him.”
The pair first met in juniors, and Draper has been nothing but impressed as he follows Sinner’s journey to the top of the sport. According to him, the Italian wasn’t always the dominant force that he is now.
“The first time I met Jannik was, we were in an under-18 tournament,” he said. “I think I played him in the doubles in a Grade 1 ITF. I didn't know him, but it was strange following his journey because when he was younger, he was probably not one of the best juniors.
“I remember playing him in doubles, and we were saying, ‘Oh, hit to him because he's not the best player on the court.’”
Nowadays Sinner is the perfect package. He’s not just a jaw-dropping tennis player, according to Draper: Sinner is also a humble, down-to-earth guy.
“I've obviously followed him and always think he's really well-mannered and an amazing guy and good for the sport,” he said. “Obviously his tennis is incredible too. I think as a person, he's incredibly kind, genuine, funny, and that's more important than being a great player, but he's also an unbelievable player and great for the sport too.”
The pair regularly fire texts to one another, and try to keep each other’s spirits up when necessary. The back-and-forth means the world to Draper.
“I think just in general, we're obviously young,” Draper says. “We're playing this incredibly tough sport. There's a lot of emotional ups and downs. There's a lot of tough moments. So I think it started through sending messages to each other.”
When the pair put their friendship aside for their Friday semifinal in New York, Sinner knows he better watch out for his buddy. Draper may be the lowest-ranked semifinalist at this year’s Open, playing his first semifinal at the majors, but the Italian knows his friend is a true threat.
“There are many things he's doing great,” Sinner says of Draper. “It's going to be a tough match for both of us, in any case. Semis, they are a bit different from the first or second round, so let's see whoever handles this better.
“I'm looking forward to it. I played against him in Queen's on grass some years ago, but it's nice to see our process, growing as a player and as a person, so it's good.”
