Emma Raducanu beams as she recalls growing up with Jack Draper – and congratulates her fellow Brit on the biggest win of his career at Indian Wells.
Emma Raducanu has congratulated compatriot Jack Draper who became the fifth British man to win a Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells.
Draper, 23, battered Danish star Holger Rune in straight sets to claim silverware, just 24 hours after defeating defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals.
The seismic victory in California has meant the Briton, who hails from London, is now seventh in the world rankings.
The biggest victory of his career did not go unnoticed by those back in his homeland, with the Princess of Wales congratulating Draper on a ‘fantastic’ display.
And now Draper’s close friend, and fellow tennis star, Raducanu has expressed her glee at his achievements while reflecting on their journey from being childhood friends to the pinnacle of the sport.
‘I’m so happy for him,’ the 22-year-old told Sky Sports. ‘He is someone that I have known since [we were] so small, we were literally kids.
We grew up together and I know how much work he has put in, how much he deserves it. I’m just really happy and rooting for him.’
The victory was a career highlight for Draper as he made it into the top 10 of the men’s rankings for the very first time.
It was his first title at Masters level as he followed in the footsteps of greats such as Andy Murray and Tim Henman to do so, while Cameron Norrie and Greg Rusedski are the other two British men to achieve the feat.
The victory follows on from the ATP title he won at the Stuttgart Open last June, his very first, and the impressive Vienna Open triumph in October.
‘It’s incredible,’ Draper said. ‘I wasn’t expecting this. I put in a lot of work over time. I’m just so grateful and so happy to be out here, my body feels healthy, to feel great in the mind.
‘All the work I have done over the last few years, it feels like it’s coming together on the big stage. I cannot put that into words.’
Draper and Raducanu, who were born within 12 months of each other, have been close throughout their lives.
In September last year, before his semi-final defeat at the US Open, Draper spoke of how Raducanu’s victory at Flushing Meadows in 2021 inspired him to achieve success in the sport.
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. Obviously, we’ve watched the likes of Andy Murray winning a Grand Slam from Great Britain, but her winning, it was just really a fairy-tale run.
‘I definitely think as a competitor, it fuelled my fire. I really wanted to achieve what she’d done, winning a Grand Slam. I learned a lot from watching Emma win, that run, and how amazing she was.’
Ultimately, world No1 Jannik Sinner would prove too strong for Draper as he was beaten in straight sets.
However, with Wimbledon approaching in the next few months, opportunity knocks for the Briton to get his hands on a grand slam.