Jack Draper put an end to rumors that there might be some tension between him and Emma Raducanu as the reigning Indian Wells Masters champion named the 23-year-old WTA star as his "favorite British player."
In August, Draper and Raducanu clashed in a mixed doubles match at the US Open when the British ATP player and Jessica Pegula edged out the British WTA star and Carlos Alcaraz 3-5 5-3 10-8. After the match, the two British stars appeared to exchange an icy handshake – which led to some negative speculations about the relationship between the two.
Two months after their US Open match, Draper and Raducanu agreed to start 2026 by representing Great Britain at the United Cup. For both, it will be a debut appearance at the United Cup.
Ahead of the United Cup, Draper joined the United Cup and answered a couple of short questions. When asked to name his favorite British player, he quickly dropped Raducanu's name.
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Draper strongly defended Raducanu
After Raducanu picked up a first-round exit at the 2024 US Open and faced massive criticism, Draper publicly supported the 23-year-old by explaining that she was put in a very uncomfortable and challenging spot.
"I think it’s important that people give her time to be on her journey and to improve physically and to put years of working to get back to that point. There’s no doubt it was extremely difficult for Emma, because she’d done her A Levels and she’d just come out of school. All of a sudden she came here and she had a dream run and won. I think the expectation on her after that was huge," the ATP world No. 10 said at the time.
Draper will meet Japan's Shintaro Mochizuki on January 4th, while Raducanu will clash against Naomi Osaka.
