British No. 1 Jack Draper was in the best form of his career last season, after a dominant performance in each tournament. From Grand Slams to ATP events, he made multiple deep runs, contributing to the breakthrough that pushed him to new heights. However, an unfortunate injury shortened his season, forcing him to miss the final months of the tour.
Now, as he steps back on professional tennis courts after being away for nearly six months, he has targeted Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Jack Draper Explains His Plan To Overtake Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
The WTA tour has equal dominance of all the top-ranked players, bringing unpredictability to the match results. No particular woman is on top of the game, despite Aryna Sabalenka being the WTA World No. 1 player, with many players having the chance of besting each other.
However, this doesn’t stand true with the men’s tour, as despite being a ranking list, the World No. 1 Alcaraz and World No. 2 Sinner completely dominate the ATP Tour. Both players have been invincible for the last two years, not allowing a third person to establish control.
The last time someone not named Carlos or Jannik won a Grand Slam was back in 2023, when the Serbian legend Novak Djokovic was having one of the best years of his career, winning three of the four majors that year, with the US Open being the last.
Now, the British No. 1 Draper has challenged these two top-ranked players, sending a clear message. “Right now, I am obviously behind. At the start of last year, I was building my way up. I think obviously this injury has set me back a little bit, just in terms of the fact that I haven’t competed for a while,” he told the Khaleej Times ahead of the 2026 Dubai Open.
The Briton took the positive side of this setback, explaining how this time also helped him. “At the same time, it has made me more resilient and made me learn a lot about my game,” he said.
Draper then talked about what he thinks of the wide gap between him and SinCaraz, presenting a timeline on how he can overtake them. “So I think the next year and a half, two years is going to be very interesting for me because I have a lot to improve, a lot to develop, and a lot of experience still to come, which maybe they have over me. But I have full belief in myself that I can reach the very top of the game,” he concluded.
This stern warning from Draper, suggesting that he is coming for the top spot and to challenge the Italian and the Spaniard, sends a clear message about his intentions. Despite being away for nearly six months, the Briton is confident about taking his position back inside the top 10 and then, in the coming years, dominating the sport.
Unfortunate End to Draper’s Breakthrough 2025 Season
Draper’s highlight moment of 2025 was his BNP Paribas Open win in Indian Wells, which marked his first ATP Masters 1000 title. He defeated the then-World No. 3 Alcaraz in the semifinals and won the tournament, dropping just one set. In the final, he defeated Holger Rune in straight sets to become just the fifth British player to win a tournament at this level.
He made three finals in 2025: the Masters 1000 at the Madrid Open, the Indian Wells, and the ATP 500 in Doha, where he lost to Casper Ruud, Rune, and Andrey Rublev, respectively. These strong showings launched him into the top 5 of the ATP Rankings, peaking at World No. 4 in June 2025.
However, he could not manage to keep his body fit as he was delivering some of the most elite performances of his career. Draper initially struggled with a hip injury, which forced him to withdraw from the United Cup. After his first-round match at the US Open, Draper suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to end his 2025 season prematurely.
Because of the same issue, he missed this year’s first Grand Slam, which was again won by Carlos Alcaraz, making him the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam.
He is set to return to action on Feb. 23 in Dubai against Quentin Halys in the Round of 32 match, hoping to gain momentum and return to the top ranks on the ATP list.
