Who is Jack Draper, the top British tennis player accused of cheating on the court?

Sep 5 , 2024

Who is Jack Draper, top British tennis player at the centre of a cheating scandal? Photo: @jackdraper/Instagram

Tennis runs in the family: his dad was the CEO of Lawn Tennis Association, and his mum and grandmother were tennis coaches

Twenty-two-year-old tennis star Jack Draper, widely recognised as the No 1 male British player on the court right now, just had a taste of controversy after being accused of cheating at the Cincinnati Open, according to various reports. He secured the match point while playing against Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime, but his opponent contested that the Brit had hit the ball into the ground, after which it bounced up and landed over the net.

Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada and Jack Draper of Britain at the Cincinnati Open, in August. Photo: Getty Images

Draper argued that he was only looking at his opponent and couldn’t be sure about what happened, but insisted that, “If there was a replay, I would replay it,” per The Guardian. The umpire ultimately gave him the win.

However, he later admitted after watching the replay that it was “very clear it’s an illegal shot” and that he was “thinking about it four days non-stop”. Nevertheless, he is taking the widespread criticism as “part of being a top athlete” and the experience as “a good way of showing that we really do need VAR [video assistant referee] technology” for complete fairness in tennis.

Draper went on to win against China’s Zhizhen Zhang in the US Open. But what else do we know about Draper off the court?

Jack Draper’s father is a multimillionaire

Jack Draper at the US Open, in August. Photo: Getty Images

Draper is the son of Roger Draper, ex-CEO of Lawn Tennis Association – the country’s national governing body of tennis. After Jack was named the youngest No 1 in Britain, a blogger named Pavvy G commented in a viral X (formerly Twitter) post, “There were many youngsters more talented than Jack but didn’t have the finance or support to continue. This is where the LTA have really failed.” Despite calling out the nepotism, the poster also clarified that “this is not Jack’s fault”.

Tennis runs in the family

Jack Draper on the court at the Olympic Games in Paris, in July. Photo: AFP

Draper’s mother, Nicky Draper, said in an interview with the LTA that she was a tennis coach at the Sutton Tennis and Squash Club, and that was where Jack picked up a racquet for the first time.