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Britain’s Jack Draper has opened up about how difficult it is to survive in the top half of the ATP rankings. The 23-year-old is now regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category.
This season, Draper has produced some incredible performances on the court. The London-born star won his maiden ATP 1000 event at Indian Wells after beating Denmark’s Holger Rune in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2. He then finished as the runner-up at the Madrid Open, where he suffered a defeat in the final to Norway’s Casper Ruud with a score of 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
Draper’s most recent outing was at the Rome Open, where his journey ended at the quarterfinals stage as he lost to world number three Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4. Those performances have pushed the 2024 US Open semifinalist to as high as fifth in the ATP rankings. Draper spoke to Sky Sports, and he shared how difficult it is to survive amongst the best players in the world. He was of the opinion that people believe it becomes easy once you cement a spot in the top five, which is completely opposite to how it is.
“I suppose people think that once you get to that point you can relax,” he said. “That’s the total opposite. Obviously, you feel more expectation and stuff, and you’ve just got to keep moving forward. Keep putting in more hard work to get to that next stage, which will hopefully be even more up the rankings. I suppose they put you in nicer hotels. I definitely feel like there’s a few more crowds to watch me practise, my matches. That’s one thing that I play for: to be an entertainer and play in front of lots of people. It’s something that I’ve always wanted. I’ve always loved competition, the atmosphere around that.”
He also opened up on how it is to go from being not wanted to being the main name for practice. He gave an anecdote that no-one wanted to practice with him during the early days.
‘You get to know the top players a bit more because obviously there’s a different changing room for that kind of thing.
‘When I first came onto the tour I remember being 340 in the world and I got a wild card into the Miami Open. I wrote my name down for practice and no one wanted to hit with me; they were all just crossing out my name and putting someone else’s.
‘As you play more, as you win more matches and get to know the players you get to know that we’re all the same and we’re all sacrificing our lives trying to do the right thing in tennis, go after our goals. That gains respect. That ultimately leads to more respect.’
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Paula Badosa hints at rocky relationship between ex-boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas and father, Apostolos
Having been in an on and off relationship for over two years, Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas are quite familiar with each other and their families. It comes as no surprise when the Spanish WTA star appeared to be in agreement with a statement by former player Ivan Ljubicic, where the Croat urged parents of tennis stars to focus less on tennis and more on raising their kids. The high-profile couple made their relationship public in May 2023, and were seen at each other's matches. A year later, they would take to social media to announce they had split ways, only to get back together three weeks later. Known for his volatility on the court, Tsitsipas would engage in a rather heated exchange with his father Apostolos during an opening round loss against Kei Nishikori at the 2024 Canadian Open. The elder Tsitsipas was acting as Stefanos coach at that point, and the Greek star would later take shots at his father in his post-match conference. However, Tsitsipas would later reveal he had apologized to his father soon after the incident. In an interview with SDNA, Tsitsipas stated both men had a long conversation, during which they aired their grievances and the former World No.3 admitted to apologizing to his dad. Badosa co-signs statement by Ljubicic "We discussed it, from my side I had to apologize because it was a big mistake on my part," said Tsitsipas to SDNA. "We have found a new line of communication and a way to talk to each other, so that such things don't happen again and such tensions don't arise again." Ivan Ljubicic, former player who would later coach Roger Federer during the tail end of his career, would chime in on the role of tennis parents, a day after Jannik Sinner dethroned Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. "Following last night, second note to parents: your role is CRUCIAL," said Ljubicic. "Your responsibility is to build independent, responsible, strong human beings. Let the professionals do their job, make sure they have all they need. I promise that this is the best formula." Soon after Tsitsipas' interview with SDNA was published, Badosa would return to Ljubicic's post and express her support. "Soooo good ", wrote the Spanish WTA star on Twitter. Although Badosa did not mention Apostolos specifically, the elder Tsitsipas has received backlash for being overbearing towards Stefanos.
Yankees have finally found their third baseman in Ryan McMahon
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ESPN Predicts Mets-Twins Trade One Week Before Deadline
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76ers unexpectedly waive veteran guard despite career season
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