Tennis can be among the loneliest of sporting endeavours but, for Jack Draper, this year’s French Open is a family affair. Watching the No 5 seed’s first-round victory over Mattia Bellucci were brother Ben, mum Nicky and grandfather Chris.
Chris, who turns 81 next week, was courtside when Draper beat Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s Club last year. He does not travel much, though, because he is the full-time carer for his wife Brenda, who has dementia.
‘My grandparents are a huge part of my world,’ said Draper.
‘My grandad loves tennis, he’s obsessed with it. He knows everything that is going on around the world. It gives him so much life. His wife, my nana, who has dementia, that was a big part of her world.
‘She is being looked after in the UK at the moment. Usually my grandad does all that. He is having a little bit of a holiday.
‘It gives him so much excitement. To have him here is a massive, massive thing for me; it’s inspiring for sure. I’m very lucky to have my grandparents. To share these moments with them it’s a big deal.’
Jack Draper is keen to extend his grandad’s holiday by making a big run at Roland Garros
Draper, pictured with his grandparents as a child, is thrilled to have his family with him in Paris
His grandmother Brenda (right) has dementia and is in the UK where she is being cared for
Tennis runs deep in the Draper bloodline. Chris and Brenda instilled a love for the game into Nicky, who in turn gave Jack his first instruction. He and Ben, a fine player in his own right, played together as kids at Sutton Tennis Club and big bro is now his agent.
Nicky rarely watches her younger son live — she does not like to leave the family dog — and historically has not had the best record as a spectator. This fortnight in Paris is a chance to get that moving in the right direction.
‘She came to watch me at the US Open (for the semi-final defeat),’ said Draper. ‘She came to watch me in Monte Carlo — I won one match there and then lost the next one. I wasn’t playing well at all. She came to the Madrid Open semi-final where I beat Lorenzo Musetti. Then I lost in the final. So I am picking up more wins. There’s no jinx anymore!’
Draper is at the head of a British charge here in Paris, as one of five in action on Thursday. He will play a tantalizing night session match against French hero Gael Monfils, who recovered from two sets down against Hugo Dellien on Tuesday.
That was a night session, too, and Monfils, still an extraordinary athlete at 38, seems to be possessed by a special kind of magic under the Chatrier lights.
Jacob Fearnley, Cam Norrie, Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter are all in action, too. Along with Emma Raducanu, who lost to Iga Swiatek on Wednesday, it is the first time Britain have had six first-round winners here since 1973.
That statistic is as much a symbol of historic underachievement than present success, and Draper was keen to stress that winning a single match should not be the height of his colleagues’ ambitions.
‘It’s exciting,’ he said of the Brit charge. ‘Not just because people are winning first rounds but there is potential for different journeys here. Jacob is an amazing player. I have said that before. He’s going to go deep in Grand Slams, he is going to be a top player.
Mother Nicky, who previously coached at Sutton Tennis, has also joined the family trip to Paris
Draper will take on French veteran Gael Monfils in Thursday’s night session at Roland Garros
The 23-year-old, ranked No 5 in the world, is set to be one of the faces of the British summer
‘These are all players who are hopefully not going to just win one round. We are looking to go deep in the tournament. I was really impressed with Cam today. I thought beating Daniil Medvedev in five showed so much character. Emma, Sonay, all these players are amazing. They can all have deep runs in these tournaments, which is really exciting for British tennis.’
Nice words, and there is certainly plenty of talent in that group — but Draper is the only one capable of lasting towards the end of the second week. He will hope to extend grandpa Chris’s stay in Paris for a while longer yet.
