Jack Draper has broken into the world top five and mixed with the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley but Britain's new tennis star insists fame won't stop him being a model pro

Daily Mail​

23-05-2025

When you are diving off a yacht into the Persian Gulf with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, it is probably too late to begin considering how to deal with fame.
Fortunately Jack Draper — British No 1, world No 5 and Burberry ambassador — has long been preparing himself for superstardom, well before starring in that eye-catching advert with one of the most famous models in the world.
The 23-year-old is the face of Burberry's High Summer season and, as the French Open begins on Sunday and Wimbledon approaches, he could well be the face of the British sporting summer too. A storm of attention is brewing on the horizon but Draper is ready.
'I've always been aware that, if I want to be a top player, what comes with that is more attention, good and bad,' he said. 'I'm adapting my life and getting more and more prepared for that all the time. Because I do believe I can go right to the top.'
Draper has always embraced the modelling opportunities which have come his way but the Burberry shoot alongside Huntington-Whiteley was his highest-profile assignment. Was his co-star's Hollywood hardman fiancee Jason Statham there? 'No, I think he was on a movie shoot, doing his thing,' said Draper.
'It was a really fun campaign. I've never met (Huntington-Whiteley) before, didn't know much about her in all honesty but she was lovely. She was really down to earth, really kind and she made me feel very comfortable. The whole campaign was really cool. The photo of us jumping out, she's smiling, I'm not — I don't think I got the memo. I think she made me look good.'
Draper requires nothing and no one to make him look good on a tennis court. A semi-final at last year's US Open, the title in Indian Wells and a debut in the world's top five have raised his profile significantly, but so far he has not found his daily life affected.
'In the UK I haven't had that at all,' he says. 'Maybe because when I'm off the court, I'm quite low key, I wear baggy stuff. But this week I had the haircut thing…'
That would be the frenzied online reaction to his most recent trim, shaved down at the sides with an unruly, blonde-flecked arrangement on top. 'Jack Draper undergoes hair transformation — leaving fans in disbelief,' said Hello Magazine, keeping things in perspective.
'I've had the same shocking haircut since I was 14 - it's the same one I've had always,' insists Draper. 'I guess it's just more people have known me the last four months and they think I've got this new haircut.'
So far Draper has worn his fame as easily as one of his oversized t-shirts. He knows, however, that once Wimbledon rolls around he may begin to feel a tightening around the shoulders.
'What will come there will be a new experience for me but I'm aware of my position now,' he said. 'I know it is going to be different but that's where I've got great people around me. I've got my whole circle prepared for that.
'And like Andy (Murray) always said, there's expectation but I'm also going to have a lot of love from people. I'm going to have the crowds behind me at Queens and Wimbledon and that helps massively.'
Before all that comes the French Open, where Draper finds himself in the strange position of being No5 seed but also looking for his first win here. That victory should come without too much trouble against Italian world No68 Mattia Bellucci and, having made the final of the Madrid Open, Draper has shown he can do damage on this surface.
'When I've played here in the past, I don't feel like I've entered the court with any confidence or any belief,' he admitted. 'But with the way I'm playing I feel confident. I think there's a good chance I can do really well. I'm looking forward to that challenge.'