US Open 2024: Jack Draper stays cool on his way to the semifinals in New York

Draper, born and raised in Surrey, comes from a successful tennis family.

His mother Nicky – who the player cites as one of his biggest influences – is a coach and former junior champion, while his father Roger was chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association.

The older brother Ben used to be a college player in the USA and now looks after his sibling's interests as an agent.

Hitting a tennis ball against the garage door at the age of one (according to his mother, this was because he was imitating his brother) was the first sign that Draper had the necessary talent.

A few years later, she took the boys to the Weybridge Tennis Academy, where Sherring – a long-time friend of the Drapers – was the head coach.

“I thought we were going to focus on Ben, so I had one hit and he was pretty good,” Sherring said.

“Nicky asked if I could do a hit with Jack because they were looking for a trainer for him. I said, 'Yeah, but he's pretty small and pretty young.'

“A hundred shots later, I thought, 'Wow.'”

Draper remained under Sherring's tutelage for the next decade and the two traveled the world to hone their skills against other extraordinarily talented young players.

They mostly toured Europe, but also made trips to the Orange Bowl and ITF events in India.

However, it was extremely important to Draper's mother that he continue his education and she asked Sherring to teach him ten words every day.

“Depending on what mood I or he was in, I would think of a word he might have been that day, like stubborn,” he laughed.

“He asked what it meant and I said, 'Well, it's been you all day, look it up and come back to me.'”

However, the teenager only wanted to study tennis.

As Draper returned from a loss to a young Russian at a tournament in Sweden, he wondered why he was still in school when his opponent was already training professionally.

This marked the beginning of his transition from Reed's School – a private boys' school in Surrey whose notable alumni included Tim Henman and Hollywood actor Tom Hardy – to home schooling.

“He started to question why he was going to school, why he was hanging out with other kids, why he was doing what other people were doing. It was frustrating for him,” Sherring said.

“Then he lost to some idiot – as he put it himself – after flying halfway around the world.

“But that's the way it is. You wouldn't see the warrior you see now if everything had been sunshine and roses or strawberries and cream.

“It's nice to see a lovely boy doing what he does. There's a lot of love in the team and in the family. We all have a lot of love for him.”