Man United pep talk, glossy photoshoots, US Open prize money - inside the rise of Jack Draper

In an Olympic summer, baton passing has not strictly been reserved for Paris 2024, which provided a final chapter for Andy Murray before the British tennis icon retired. Emerging from the shadow in his own right, Jack Draper has become British No.1 and global recognition is gathering more pace than his trademark serve.

Given his achievements, Murray was always going to be a huge miss for the sport. Now, following in the footsteps of somebody who put British men's tennis back on the map, Draper might be too dreaming about etching his name into Grand Slam history as his career-best run at Flushing Meadows continues.

The 22-year-old has defeated Zhang Zhizhen, Facundo Diaz Acosta, Botic van de Zandschulp and Tomas Machac - without dropping a single set - over four rounds in New York with Alex de Minaur next up. Australia's tenth seed will take some stopping, but so will Draper and the US Open trophy is within a more manageable reach for several hopefuls as Novak Djokovic and reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz have been sent packing.

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Draper is three matches away from emerging as one of the sport's elite players. However, should he not complete that particular dream in the next few days, his performances Stateside have shown that British men's tennis have a new flag-bearer to pick straight up from Murray after the Scot opted to hang up his racket.

Here, we take a closer look at Draper's career so far and personal bits which have underlined his ascent;

Manchester United could do with another pep talk from Draper right now. An underwhelming start to the Premier League season - compounded by a heavy