“Bubbly” Emma Raducanu Earns High Praise from British ATP Star in Candid Revelation About Their Bond

“I really wanted to achieve what she’d done, winning a grand slam,” Jack Draper said about Emma Raducanu back in 2024. Well, to give you a bit of backstory, their friendship blossomed during their junior years when they were just nine or ten years old. They forged through countless hours of practice at the National Tennis Center in Roehampton. While both turned professional in 2018, their off-court camaraderie has remained a constant, even amidst fleeting dating rumors that never materialized. Now, Draper shares his thoughts on what makes Raducanu tick.

Jack Draper recently shared heartfelt praise for Emma Raducanu. Draper reflected on their friendship when asked about his British compatriot in an interview. He said, “She has always been there for me. I’ve always been there for her. She’s extremely bubbly, very kind, very thoughtful, always giggling, really smart. A really, really, really good girl.” This is not the first time when Draper has spoken highly about the young star.

“She has always been there for me. I've always been there for her. She's extremely bubbly, very kind, very thoughtful, always giggling, really smart. A really, really, really good girl.”
– Jack Draper on Emma Raducanu pic.twitter.com/IDTf3vwqQx

— Emma Raducanu Fans (@RaducanuNews) January 12, 2025

Emma Raducanu, back in 2021 scripted history as she became the first woman in the Open Era to win the US Open title coming in from the qualifiers. What makes her win more interesting is the fact that this was just her second appearance at the main draw. Raducanu, then 18 years old, clinched yet another milestone as she became the first British woman to win a grand slam title since Virginia Wade’s Wimbledon victory in 1977.

Draper, who admitted that his run to the 2024 US Open semifinals has been inspired by Emma Raducanu‘s 2021 triumph, praised Raducanu’s inspiring 2021 US Open victory. “What Emma did was obviously incredibly inspiring,” he said. “I’ve known her from a young age and to see what she did was incredible. I was very proud of her, very excited, watching it thinking, obviously we’ve watched the likes of Andy Murray winning a Grand Slam from Great Britain, but her winning, it was just really a fairytale run,” he further added. “I definitely think as a competitor, it fuelled my fire. I really wanted to achieve what she’d done, winning a grand slam,” he said.

Jack Draper spoke out in defense of Emma Raducanu, who has faced criticism since her breakthrough US Open win in 2021. Raducanu’s journey has been challenging, with multiple injuries and fitness struggles, affecting her performance. Despite these setbacks, Draper urged patience and understanding for his fellow Brit.

“I think it’s important that people give her time to be on her journey and to improve physically and to put years of working to get back to that point,” Draper said. “There’s no doubt it was extremely difficult for Emma, because she’d done her A-Levels, and she’d just come out of school, and all of a sudden she came here, and she had a dream run and won, and I think the expectation on her after that was huge,” he further added.

Draper also pointed out the physical challenges of transitioning to full-time professional tennis. He suggested that immediate success doesn’t guarantee consistency. “I think it was difficult for people to expect her to start winning everything, left, right and centre. Because even though she’d won one of the biggest tournaments in the world, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to compete on the tour, week in, week out,” he added.