The mother of British tennis star Jack Draper has claimed she will not travel to New York if her son reaches the US Open final, revealing she would rather stay at home and watch with her dog and a glass of wine.
Nicky Draper has said it is unlikely she will travel across the pond to watch her son’s semi-final match against Italian top seed Jannik Sinner, but she has considered it.
Instead, Ms Draper is looking forward to watching the match with her father and her dog, with a glass of wine in hand, as she has done for the rest of the tournament.
She told BBC Radio 4: ‘I’ve been watching every match with my dad, with my dog, swearing and cursing, jumping up and down, clapping, having a glass of wine at the same time. I’ve got both of my boys out there, I think they’re doing fine without me.’
Ms Draper was a former British junior champion herself and introduced Jack to tennis as a child, while her other son Ben acts as his brother’s agent.
She previously coached at Sutton Tennis and Squash Club while her ex-husband, Roger Draper, was chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association up until 2013.
Nicky Draper (pictured) was the best female junior player in Britain in her younger years. She said it is unlikely she will travel across the pond to watch her son’s semi-final match against Italian top seed Jannik Sinner
Draper is the first British man to reach the US Open semi-finals since Andy Murray in 2012
Jane Draper introduced Jack to tennis as a child, while her other son Ben acts as his brother’s agent (pictured Jane and her sons as young boys)
Jack Draper as a young tennis player
Sinner, who turned 23 last month, is four months older than Draper and the pair became friends after growing up together on the junior circuit.
Ms Draper said the pair were good friends and that they had played some doubles and shared the odd meal together.
Draper, 22, is into his first Grand Slam semi-final after crushing No 10 seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2.
‘It’s amazing,’ said Draper after his debut on the 24,000-seat Arthur Ashe stadium. ‘To be out here for my first time on the biggest court in the world, it’s a dream come true. Thank you for the support, it means the world.’
Draper is the first British man to reach the semi-finals of the US Open since Andy Murray in 2016, and he believes his chequered history with injury gives the perspective to allow him to embrace this opportunity.
He previously said: ‘I’ve been working so hard for such a long time now. I had to watch all these young, amazing players winning amazing tournaments.
‘I’m playing on the biggest stage in the world and I felt like, you know, I just wasn’t doing enough to get to that point myself.
Jack Draper is through to the US Open semi-finals after beating Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
Draper’s father, Roger (pictured), was the chief executive for Sport England and the Lawn Tennis Association
Draper, who hit 11 aces against De Minaur, has not dropped a single set in this year’s US Open
‘This is not an overnight thing for me. I’ve believed for a long time that I’ve been putting in the work and doing the right things.
‘I knew that my time would come. I didn’t know when it would be, but hopefully from here, you know, I can do a lot of amazing things. I’m very proud of myself.
‘I’ve had setbacks, I’ve had times when I’ve maybe thought, ‘Am I cut out for this sport, am I really good enough?’
‘I kept on believing in myself, kept working. Those are hard moments. This is not a hard moment compared to that. This is a privilege, this is an honour.
‘I’m not afraid of being in these positions. I want to keep on doing this, this is why I play.’
