Jack Draper is ready to lean on sometime mentor Andy Murray for advice as he plots his way through uncharted territory at the US Open.
Draper has taken on the mantle of Britain’s top male tennis player following the end of the Murray era and faces his first ever Grand Slam quarter-final in New York on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old has learned from his former Davis Cup teammate during his rise and knows he can call on the 2012 US Open champion any time he needs some guidance.
“I feel like he would completely understand and respond to any messages I send him and would give me advice,” Draper said.
“At the same time I think he’s kind of enjoying his retirement now, and he’s kind of done with it.
“I know if I have any questions or if I’m feeling something, then he’ll be the first person I text. I know that he’d be there for me if I need him.”
Murray has known Draper since he was a teenager and earlier this year called him “a really exciting player” with “the ability to go right to the top of the game”.
The younger man secured a career-high ranking with an emphatic win over Tomas Machac on Monday to reach the last eight and could break into the top 20 if he goes further.
Standing in his way is Alex de Minaur, the Australian world No10 and adopted Brit through his relationship with British women’s No1 Katie Boulter.
Men’s US Open draw wide open
Although the early exits of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have blown the men’s draw open, Draper knows the tests are only likely to get tougher as he targets a semi-final place.
“I think I’ve just got to keep on going because I know that there’s still room for improvement and still room to hopefully go further in the tournament,” he said.
“I feel like in most of the matches I’ve just had to control what I can control. I feel like my base level is good but I still feel like, if I need to, I can improve my level a lot more.
“I feel like there’s still a long way for me to go and a lot that I can still improve on in this tournament, and I think obviously as the challenge gets higher and as I play even better players, I think hopefully my level will increase with that.
“I think that’s the main thing about tennis: we can’t play our best tennis all the time.
“It’s about how we’re coming through on the days when we’re not playing our best or when things aren’t perfect or when we’re not feeling great.”
Draper is yet to drop a set at this US Open, a stat that echoes compatriot Emma Raducanu’s shock run from qualification to the title in 2021.
Murray retired from tennis last month after his participation at the Paris 2024 Olympics. His updated social media bio reads: “I played tennis. I now play golf.”