{"id":294768,"date":"2023-11-09T18:24:14","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T18:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=294768"},"modified":"2023-11-09T18:24:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T18:24:14","slug":"williams-ex-coach-excited-about-britains-other-raducanu-as-payday-on-horizon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/tennis\/williams-ex-coach-excited-about-britains-other-raducanu-as-payday-on-horizon\/","title":{"rendered":"Williams’ ex-coach excited about Britain’s other Raducanu as payday on horizon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Halep given four-year ban from tennis over doping offences<\/h3>\n

Jack Draper has been hailed as the \u201cfuture of British tennis\u201d before he bids for the biggest payday of his career at the UTS Grand Final in London next month. But first the British No.4 is two wins away from his first ATP Tour title at the Sofia Open this week.<\/p>\n

The big left-hander will join fellow wildcard Holger \u201cThe Viking\u201d Rune, Andrey \u201cRublo\u201d Rublev, Casper \u201cThe Iceman\u201d Ruud and Gael \u201cLa Monf\u201d Monfils in the T20-style exhibition event to be held at the ExCel Arena. Invented by super coach Patrick Mouratoglou, UTS tennis sees quicker matches played in four eight-minute quarters in front of raucous crowds. And Draper, 21, wants fans to pick him nickname for the event.<\/p>\n

The Davis Cup star reached the fourth round of the US Open in September and has banked $684,337 (\u00a3557,057) so far \u00a0this season – and $1,769,400 in his career. Winning all five of his matches in London from December 15-17 will see him earn $922,000 (\u00a3750,491). Draper shares the same star quality as his contemporary Emma Raducanu – and has also seen his early career stalled by injuries – but Mouratoglou insisted he is also destined for the top.<\/p>\n

“We’re excited to have Jack involved,\u201d said Serena Williams\u2019 former coach. \u201cWe really wanted to have a British player and I’m excited that it’s Jack because he’s the future of British tennis and he is probably the young player who has the biggest potential for the future. He has a huge potential. He has a big game, he has shown this year that he\u2019s on the way to the top of the game, to the top 10 and then we’ll see – everything is open.”<\/p>\n

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Draper said: \u201cCompeting on home soil against some of the best players in the world, will be a special experience for me. The UTS is fun, disruptive, and I can\u2019t wait to get on court! Let me know what you think my nickname should be!\u201d<\/p>\n

Playing his first ATP event since New York, the world No.82 reached the semi-finals in Bulgaria by beating Turkey\u2019s Cem Ilken 6-2 6-2. He will next face German Jan-Lennard Struff as he bids to reach his first ATP final and claim the first prize of \u00a374,303. \u201cIt will \u00a0be two big hitters playing so hopefully it will be a good match,\u201d Draper said.<\/p>\n