Jack Draper stood on the threshold of greatness and insisted he was fearless; he knew his time would come.
“It’s incredible to be in this position,” the 22-year-old said after beating 10th-seeded Alex de Minaur to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.
‘I’ve worked so hard, for so long. I got to see all these young, great players winning great tournaments.
‘I’m playing on the biggest stage in the world and I felt like I wasn’t doing enough myself to get to that point.
“This is not something I do overnight. I have long believed that I have worked hard and done the right things.
Jack Draper advances to the semi-finals of the US Open after beating Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
Draper is the first British man to reach the US Open semi-finals since Andy Murray in 2012
“I knew my time would come. I didn’t know when it would be, but hopefully from here on out I can, you know, do a lot of great things. I’m very proud of myself.”
Draper is the first Briton to reach the US Open semi-finals since Andy Murray in 2016 and believes his varied injury history gives him the perspective to seize the opportunity.
‘I’ve had setbacks, I’ve had moments where I thought, ‘Am I cut out for this sport, am I good enough?’
“I kept believing in myself, kept working. Those are difficult moments. This is not a difficult moment compared to that. This is a privilege, this is an honor.
“I’m not afraid to be in these positions. I want to keep doing this, this is why I play.”
Draper, who hit 11 aces against De Minaur, has not dropped a single set at the US Open this year
Speaking after his quarter-final victory, Draper said: ‘I knew my time would come. I didn’t know when it would be, but hopefully from here I can, you know, do a lot of great things.’
Whoever his opponent, Jannik Sinner or Daniil Medvedev, Draper believes he has the qualities to give them trouble.
‘You see these guys winning Grand Slams on TV and you think, “Wow, they’re way too good for me”. But even the best players in the world only win 53 percent of the points, so it’s all about how clinical you are when it really matters.’