British tennis player Jack Draper has easily reached the semifinals of the US Open for the first time in his career – where he will face world number one Jannik Sinner.

The 22-year-old is the first British man to reach this stage of the Grand Slam since Andy Murray in 2012, who then won it.

And he did it without dropping a sentence.

“For me, this is not something that happens overnight,” Draper said after reaching the last four in Flushing Meadows.

“For a long time I was convinced that I had done the necessary work and done the right things, and I knew my time would come.”

It didn’t happen overnight, but the 25th-place finisher has had a meteoric rise.

Here’s everything you need to know about Draper, from his career so far to his remarkable run at the US Open to his relationship with his next opponent.

Career and previous career

The 6ft 4in left-hander from Sutton turned professional in 2018 after being introduced to the sport by his mother Nicky, a former British junior champion.

She took him to his first training session at Sutton Tennis and Squash Club, where she was a coach, when he was just six years old.

Tennis is in his blood on his father’s side; his father Roger was a talented amateur tennis player and was the CEO of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) from 2006 to 2013.

Draper really started to make a name for himself in 2021 with impressive wins over Jannik Sinner and Alexander Bublik at the 2021 Cinch Championships at Queen’s Club.

At the start of the 2022 season, he won his first ATP Challenger title in Forli and then, at the age of 20, became the youngest Briton to win three ATP Challenger singles titles – three trophies in two months.

However, things have not always gone smoothly for Draper as injuries have hampered his progress.

This is perhaps the reason why, up until this US Open, he had only reached the fourth round once in his Grand Slam record – at the 2023 US Open.

But he has not only focused on tennis – he is also a professional model for the international modeling agency IMG.

Overcoming the injuries

Speaking about his setbacks after the decisive quarter-final win, Draper revealed that there were times when he had serious doubts about his career.

“There were times when I thought maybe about quitting, or ‘Am I suited to this sport? Am I really good enough?’ and all that stuff,” he said.

“I think it helps that I have had many low points in my career where I have suffered injuries and setbacks.

“I kept believing in myself and kept working. Those are tough moments. In comparison, this one is not a tough moment. It is a privilege and an honor to be in this position.”

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His run at the US Open comes after some better times for Draper away from the Grand Slam stage, when he won his first ATP title at the Stuttgart Open in June, Cameron Norrie to become the new British number one.

He had previously reached the ATP finals in Sofia and Adelaide.

His run at the US Open comes after he was eliminated in the round of 64 at Wimbledon by Norrie in July.

The US Open so far

Draper’s place in the semifinals never seemed in doubt after he effortlessly defeated his early opponents Zhang Zhizhen, Facundo Diaz Acosta and Botic van de Zandschulp without dropping a set.

It was exciting for his fans, but probably no surprise for his opponents given Draper’s form.

Even more impressive was his victory in the quarterfinals, which he achieved against world number ten Alex de Minaur.

With a dominant performance, he swept the 25-year-old Australian off the court and won 6:3, 7:5 and 6:2.

He had the upper hand from the start against an out-of-form De Minaur, and even before the match there were reports that the Australian had abandoned his previous training session.

Draper took full advantage of this and won the first set with two breaks of serve – but he missed five set points before finally taking the sixth set when he smashed a cross-court forehand into the net.

Next: Jannik Sinner

It is no secret that the world number one is considered the favorite not only to reach the semifinals, but also to win the entire tournament, having just beaten former champion Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.

It would be the Italian’s first US Open, but he already has one Grand Slam under his belt: he won the Australian Open earlier this year.

After his quarter-final victory, Draper said he considered Sinner a “good friend.”

“We send each other messages in good and bad moments,” he said in his press conference.

“It’s a tough sport when you’re young. You’re on the road, you’re doing such a relentlessly intense sport, both physically and emotionally, and it’s difficult, we don’t have many friends, so it’s really great to have the support of someone who’s going through it themselves.”

The pair played doubles together at the Canadian Open just a few weeks ago.

“Big respect for Jannik and it was incredible to play doubles with him in Montreal,” said Draper.

“I think we played great doubles together. I had never won a doubles match on tour, so it was great to play with the best player in the world. I definitely learned a lot about playing doubles and had a lot of fun with him.”

“Murray is there for me when I need him”

Draper is the first Briton since Murray to reach the semi-finals of the US Open and will now hope to follow in his footsteps and win the thing, just as the recently retired great did 12 years ago.

But Draper says he hasn’t heard from Murray yet.

“I think he’s enjoying his retirement,” he said, adding: “I’ve spoken to Andy a few times in the past about obviously playing big Grand Slam matches and all that kind of stuff.”

“I think when people you respect give you advice, it’s always good, of course, but ultimately it’s their experience.

“I think it’s important to experience these situations yourself and understand them for yourself, because everyone reacts differently to different pressures, different situations and different emotions.

“I know Andy is there for me if I need him, but at the same time I’m pretty relaxed. I’m feeling pretty good and I’m just taking it day by day and trying to keep moving forward.”

When is the semi-final – and who could compete against him in the final?

The final will take place tomorrow at Arthur Ashe Stadium – but the time has not yet been set.

If Draper wins, he will face an American in the final on home soil, either 12th seed Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe, who just won his third consecutive US Open quarterfinal.

It would be a big challenge for Draper in front of a crowd eager to see an American in the final for the first time since 2006.

But don’t trust the British number one when she says: “I still have more levels to go.”