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Jack Draper nominated for ATP’s brand-new award alongside Joao Fonseca

Originally posted on HITC | By Callum Davies | Last updated Nov 21, 2025 9:30 AM ET

Jack Draper’s impressive 2025 season has not gone unnoticed, with the ATP nominating him for one of its top awards.

The past 11 months have been a breakthrough period for the Brit, who claimed his first Masters 1000 title, reached another final, and climbed to a career-high ranking of world No. 5.

If not for an injury partway through the year, there’s no telling how much more he might have achieved.

He will hope to maintain that progression in 2026, but for now continues to rest as the tennis off-season officially has begun.

It will be interesting to see if Draper can come out on top in a field stacked with some of the game’s biggest names.

Jack Draper shortlisted for the ATP breakthrough player of the year award

The ATP defines the honour as recognition of the player who ‘made the biggest breakthrough on the ATP Tour this season, with consideration given to milestone wins, significant jumps in the PIF ATP Rankings and first ATP Tour titles’.

Draper is joined on the shortlist by Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik, and Valentin Vacherot — three players whose seasons have also drawn plenty of attention for different reasons.

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Draper has every right to be considered a strong contender. His year included a Masters 1000 title and a rise to number five in the world rankings – two clear signs of progress that won’t go unnoticed by those voting.

The award will be decided by an exclusive group: current and former players who have reached world number one status.

Jack Draper closing in on return to tennis

After another season disrupted by injuries, the 23-year-old will be eager to get back on court and start the new year strong.

Draper has been steadily working his way back, and recently shared a positive update on his fitness progress.

The comeback is expected to begin at the UTS Grand Finals, a low-pressure but competitive setting where Draper can ease back into match play without too much intensity right away.

The time away from the tour might have allowed Draper to make some important tweaks that could help him build on what was already an impressive 2025 season.

His improvement was obvious throughout this past campaign, and now all eyes will be on how he handles new expectations as one of the ATP’s standout breakout players from this year.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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