As Britain’s No 1 tennis player, he is in line for a bumper £3 million payday if he can battle through a challenging draw to scoop this year’s Wimbledon trophy.
But unlike many successful sports stars, Jack Draper looks set to keep things pretty humble.
These exclusive pictures show the 23-year-old still driving around in a battered VW Polo – quite the contrast to the £125,000 Porsche that Emma Raducanu bagged in a lucrative sponsorship deal after winning the 2021 US Open.
Taken earlier this month, the photos show Jack filling up the 12-year-old car – worth a measly £1,000 – at a petrol station in Ashtead, Surrey.
It is close to where he grew up as the son of former Sport England and Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Roger Draper, and 12 miles from the All England tennis club where he will make his first appearance this week against Argentinian Sebastian Baez, the world’s No 38.
Draper clearly has a down-to-earth approach that shows his mind is on the game – and not on any potential spoils, which may, in any case, be transient.
Raducanu had to hand back her Porsche 911 Carrera late last year, after her world rankings slipped, and she was subsequently seen driving her own modest car, a £5,000 second-hand Dacia Sandero.
While Draper’s vehicle looked like it has taken a battering over the years, the same cannot be said of his career.
As Britain’s No 1 tennis player, he is in line for a bumper £3 million payday if he can battle through a challenging draw to scoop this year’s Wimbledon trophy
These exclusive pictures show the 23-year-old still driving around in a battered VW Polo
It is quite the contrast to the £125,000 Porsche that Emma Raducanu bagged in a lucrative sponsorship deal after winning the 2021 US Open
Jack Draper holding the championship trophy after defeating Holger Rune in the men’s final of the BNP Paribas Open
Draper clearly has a down-to-earth approach that shows his mind is on the game – and not on any potential spoils, which may, in any case, be transient
The past 12 months have seen a remarkable breakthrough, having started last year’s grass court season as the world No 40.
He reached his first grand slam semi-final at the US Open in September, and took his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells in March before reaching the semi-finals at Queen’s this month.
Now ranked fourth in the world, it is thought his professional earnings have topped £5 million. But Wimbledon, where he has yet to pass the second round, could be his toughest challenge yet with a tough route to the final.
‘I’m really excited to go out there to compete,’ said Draper, who has just recovered from a bout of tonsillitis.
‘[I’m] full of excitement knowing the crowd is right behind me – that I’m going to be playing on the courts that I wanted to play on since I was young, watching [Andy] Murray, watching all these great players perform out there – and it feels amazing to know that.’
