Jack Draper knows it will take time to catch Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Draper, 23, missed out on the chance to face world number one Sinner at the French Open after slipping to a fourth-round defeat to Alexander Bublik.
The British number one is now up to fourth in the live ATP rankings, behind only Sinner, Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
But the injuries Draper suffered early in his career means he is lagging behind in terms of experience; the Bublik defeat was his 162nd Tour-level match while 22-year-old Alcaraz has played more than 300 and Sinner, only a few months older than Draper, has played over 350.
'I still think I'm a long way behind those boys. I still have lots to learn,' he said.
'If you look at the ATP matches, how many matches they've played, they've probably played double the amount that I've played.
'They're probably a year, two years ahead of me and obviously achieved a lot more, a lot more experience. I do have a lot to do to catch up with them, in all honesty.
'My level is getting better all the time, but it's not just the tennis. It's the consistency of what they're doing. Even though I've been more consistent, it's doing it when it matters, and these are the tournaments that it matters.
'I have a lot to go still to get to them, and I think that I'm working hard, I'm doing the right things, and we'll see.'
Nevertheless, Draper can look back at a successful clay season – having reached a final in Madrid and won matches for the first time at Roland Garros – before he heads for the green, green grass of home.
'I'm going to be very happy to get off the clay. You know, that's just a fact,' he added.
'I'm really, really proud of my ability to have adapted and to accept the challenge of being on the clay.
'Week-to-week I've really built, and I've learned a lot, and I've got better. I've come here, won three matches, made fourth round despite not probably playing the best tennis that I was playing in Madrid and Rome.
'I'll be happy to get on a faster surface, a surface that I'm much more comfortable moving on. Yeah, I look forward to being back home, being on the grass, for sure.'
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