Jack Draper is taking inspiration from Emma Raducanu as he looks to emulate her and win the US Open.
The 22-year-old faces world No1 Jannik Sinner on Friday at 8pm UK time in his first ever Grand Slam semi-final.
‘What Emma did was incredibly inspiring,’ said Draper, of his compatriot’s 2021 title here in New York. ‘I’ve known her from a young age, and to see what she did was incredible. I was very proud of her.
‘It fuelled my fire. I really wanted to achieve what she’d done. I took a lot of motivation and inspiration from it.’
In Sinner, Draper will go toe-to-toe with a player that he has grown close to over their years on the junior circuit, and played his first senior doubles match with in Montreal
The Briton heaped praise on his opponent ahead of the clash, stressing that he was ‘a good friend’ and ‘incredibly kind’.
‘It’s a tough sport when you’re a young guy,’ Draper added. ‘You’re on the road, playing a relentlessly intense sport, physically and emotionally, and we haven’t got many friends.
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