Jack Draper shed light on his private morning ritual at the US Open after booking his spot in the semi-final.
The British No. 1 stormed past 10th seed Alex De Minaur 6-3 7-5 6-2 in what was his debut on Arthur Ashe Stadium – the biggest showcourt in tennis.
And Draper explained why he wasn’t overwhelmed by playing on the main stage in Flushing Meadows.
Draper is through to his maiden Grand Slam semi-final where he faces either world No. 1 Jannik Sinner or former champion Daniil Medvedev. The 22-year-old has already earned a big scalp, taking out De Minaur on Wednesday. And he admitted that it still hadn’t sunk in.
“Yeah, it feels unbelievable. I maybe haven’t quite sort of put it in my mind yet. I’m still focused on the next match. That’s the way tennis works, you’ve got to keep on going,” he told Sky Sports.
The Brit was also pleased with his debut on Arthur Ashe Stadium, adding: “It feels amazing obviously to be in this position playing my first match on the biggest court in the world was an incredible thing for me and obviously coming through against Alex was huge as well. So just really proud of myself and happy for my team and everyone me.”
Asked how he dealt with the occasion while playing in the 23,700-strong stadium, Draper revealed that he had developed a habit of taking trips to Arthur Ashe in the mornings without knowing he would play there. The world No. 25 replied: “It felt good. It helps having played on Wimbledon Centre Court and having played in a lot of challenging environments for the first time.
“Every morning it’s been a ritual of mine, cause I’ve practiced so early, to take a look around Centre Court when it’s been empty and taken a look up. The last few days I’ve been going out there not knowing I’m going to play on it but just taking a look. Because it’s one of the most iconic stages in the sport. I think that helped me get used to it today.”
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