Jack Draper’s mother Nicky has reportedly decided to fly to New York to watch her son face Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the US Open. It comes just days after she appeared to rule out the possibility of travelling across the Atlantic for the biggest match of his young career.
Draper became the first British man since Andy Murray to reach the last four of the US Open with victory over Alex de Minaur on Wednesday. He will face Sinner, a good friend of his, for a place in the final on Friday night with his mother watching from the stands.
Speaking earlier this week, she initially said that she was planning to stay at home in Surrey and watch the match on TV with a glass of wine.
Asked on BBC Radio 4 if she would be flying out to New York, she replied: “It’s in the back of my mind, but I’ve been watching every match with my dad, with my dog, swearing and cursing, jumping up and down, clapping, having a glass of wine at the same time
“I’ve got both of my boys out there. I think they’re doing fine without me, so probably not.”
She went on to have a last-minute change of heart, revealing on Thursday that she had decided to book a late flight to New York in order to watch the match in person.
“I’ve got a flight booked this evening,” she was quoted as saying by talkSPORT. “I only decided this morning to go.”
It means Draper will be able to count his mother among the audience when he steps onto the court to face Sinner on Friday night. It will be the toughest test of his career, with his Italian opponent heading into the match as the overwhelming favourite to win the US Open.
The odds are certainly stacked against Draper but he will take comfort from the fact he has beaten Sinner once before. He prevailed in their only previous meeting at Queen’s Club three years ago and knows Sinner well, having played doubles with him at last month’s Cincinnati Open.
Draper recently offered an insight into his friendship with Sinner, saying: “We’ve always kept in touch since I’ve been on tour the last couple of years. Jannik is a good friend, someone I’m definitely close to. You know, we send each other messages in good moments, bad moments.
“It’s a tough sport to play when you’re a young guy. You’re on the road, you’re playing such a relentlessly intense sport, both physically and emotionally. It’s difficult, we haven’t got many friends, so to sort of have the support of someone who’s going through it themselves is really big.”
