Caitlin Thompson: Rennae, Greetings from New York, where I just returned from a brief trip to London.
Rennae Stubbs: Oh, I know, we'll welcome everybody the Rennae Stubbs Podcast. We are separate again. I am on my way to Wimbledon. I'm literally about to enter the airport and you were in New York City. Wimbledon is around the corner. Can we talk about Alcaraz also just you know, winning the French Open and popping over to the Old Queens and be like, you know what I can plan grass to remember I've wanted a couple of times and a couple of Wimbledon's. Remember that, guys, I mean, this guy's unreal goes and wins Queens.
Caitlin Thompson: My favorite part of the interview where he was like, you know, I didn't really show up with any expectations, Like I had just had like one or two practices on grass, and so my goal here is to just like get some matches under my belt. And you know, sometimes especially with more media trained athletes, which I actually do not think Carlos Alcaraz is, you know, they kind of like retreat to platitudes, to lower expectations so that they don't create headlines, which in today's tennis media climate is more nutso than ever, with people taking things out of context and creating like dishy, gossip y media headlines. I mean, honestly, it's like it's overdue, like we haven't had this for a long time, and that we finally do where people are basically treating you know, tennis like the gossip machine as well as the legitimate news source that it is. But I believe him when he said, yeah, I wasn't expecting anything. I just turned up and maybe wanted some matches and then like ended up winning the whole thing.
Rennae Stubbs: I mean, listen, when you when you're as talented and as and just as malleable on all these surfaces. It's why we talk about him being so good on the natural surfaces because also playing on grass, it's not only about changing the white that you play. And you you know, on clay, you've got to be strategic. You've got to be patient, you've got to wait for the right shot. You can't hit a certain to be out of position because the movement's a little bit more difficult on clay. On grass, you've got to be explosive. You've also got to be very agile with your footwork. You've got to be able to adjust the feel underneath your shoe to the grass and to a slippery surface, and the ball bounces lower, and you know you've got to serve you the ball more wide. You've got to get you mean, there's so many different things about playing on grass compared to playing on clay, but yet he adjusts so easily because he is so creative. He is such an incredible athlete, and of course the footwork aspect of playing on clay and playing on grass is so different, but he is so good at adapting on those surfaces, and he showed it. You know, we've clearly had enough tennis winning the French Open and took a few days off, as I said, went to Ibiza, had some fun and then you know, I think his joy for playing tennis is also what gets him through the early matches, because he's not like, oh, man, I can't believe I'm playing another tournament so quickly after the French and you know, you do have those moments where you're like, oh, I've got to lay them back up again and like get serious and like have stress and pressure again. Okay, he goes into it going okay, I'm playing again, it's kind of like Pete Davidson. Okay, okay, you know in SNL, like okay, I'm here.
Caitlin Thompson: Oh it is totally Chad.
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah it's Chad.
Caitlin Thompson: It's Chad.
Rennae Stubbs: I think he's Chad.
Caitlin Thompson: I love that we had the women also playing. We had some results out of Eastbourne, you know. And for me just like this excitement of just the short grass season where everyone's like you're either in it or you're not. Like there's some players who are just like, f this, I hate this surface.
Rennae Stubbs: I'm not going to do anything.
Caitlin Thompson: And then you have players like Sasha Bublik who shows up and he's like, guess what you think I'm chaotic on other surfaces, get ready for grass, the most chaotic of services. Here I go. Takes down pretty much everybody, including Meddy in the final in Zverev, in the semi in the second German tournament in a row on grass. I love to see it. Bublik is so fun. I just I absolutely love his tennis. I hate his facial hair. Words to the sailing team, just please please just the underbeard only is just such a tough look. I hate to critique his appearance because otherwise he's totally enjoyable underlay fault. But what did you make of the public run is this's just like the chaotic thing that sometimes happens on the surface, that is, you know, the most random.
Rennae Stubbs: Nowadays it is the most random. But it also really lends itself. Particularly grass, it's not at Wimbledon it still plays a little bit like old school grass. It's quick, low, balancing all the things, and you have to be incredibly aggressive on grass. You have to, you know, if you see an opportunity to go for a winner, you do it. Like on clay you might see an opening for a winner, but if you don't hit it well, then again, as I was talking about, your footing is different, how you you know, how you have to defend the court is different, whereas on grass it's really you're not doing. Defense is not part of your thought process. It's more about seaball c space, hit ball, hit space, go be aggressive. So Bublic is the type of play that always takes risk. That's how he plays. So for him, playing on grass is ideal because it's like, oh risk, great, go for it. And then obviously if you're playing well enough, you start getting into it and you start feeling good. About it. You start serving big and flat. He serves so flat, and he hits it all so flat. They're playing on grass lands itself beautifully to his game. So look, he's not going to be anyone that someone wants to play at Wimblein. I can tell you that right now. The unpredictability that the under armed serving, like everything about him was just I mean, I remember coaching against him and mixed doubles once he played with Elena Rybakina against Sam Stosur and her partner at the Strain and Open, and I remember seeing him really kind of for the first ish time i'd sort of seen him in the pre film. I'm like, this guy is nuts. He would go for one hundred and forty mile an hour second serves and I was like, I don't know what's going on here. This guy is absolutely bonkers. But having said that, he's that unpredictable character that on gross it's actually really beneficial to be that way as long as you can keep you, you know what together.
Caitlin Thompson: I mean, you just described why I love playing on grass so much, because my risk tolerance is high and my rally tolerance is so low. Like you and I are both very similar people who were like eh, let's see what happens, you know, yeah, which I absolutely love and I love this bout black. All right, now, I just have to briefly introduce what we're about to hear, because we have a fantastic takeaway from our sit down with Jack Draper in London. We were lucky enough to get him on the pod. I was trying to get you, but you weren't there yet, and so I went over to London to do it myself, you know, portraying the role of Renice Stubs in this interview as me Kaitlyn Thompson. But I have to say Jack Draper what a gentleman. First of all, he made the Semis of Queens, probably should have won that match against Jiri Lehechka and made the final, but kind of fiery in his you know, fiery in his loss, which actually I kind of thought was good. Like he's a chill customer, he's positive, he's nice, he was a lovely guy to chat too. But I kind of like to see some of that emotion. It makes me feel like he's probably pretty fired up for Wimbledon, and he should be. He semi'd in Madrid, he got you know, his first Master's one thousand win earlier this year in Indian wells like I'm a Jack Draper believer. Actually the lefty, big serving, big vibe guy is you know, he's swaggy and he's got he's got some fire in his belly, which I love to see from a Brit candidly.
Rennae Stubbs: Or remember what I said, he's gonna win Wimbledon. I mean you did say it, you said. I love when I say that because I get all the people out there going, oh, what are you talking about? He's not gonna win guys. I'm also at jokster. I say things sometimes to be a little bit you know, provocative, but I do believe that he's going to do well because you know, a Brit playing at London, you know at Wimbledon you have to you're two of you're off two things right. In Australia, for example, Pat Rafter really struggled playing in Australia, but yeah he won two US Opens. You know Sam Stosur is a struggle a little bit in Australia. She's okay, but through the years she struggled. There's certain players that can play at home and play really well. Andy Murray is a big example. Look at the pressure that he had on his shoulders and was able to you know, win Wimbledon, win a gold medal in London, like incredible how well he played at Wimbledon through the years, and I think Jack Draper is the personality that can actually embrace it and do well too at Wonderland. So I think the crowd's going to be incredibly behind him. He'll play on you know, center court, Court one. Maybe I doubt he's going to be on anything other than those courts, and frankly he shouldn't be. If he goes on court too, it'll be packed. But so I think this is a real opportunity again for a new face in British tennis to take the mantle from Andy now that he's gone, And I think Jack Draper is a real chance to win a Grand Slam in his career.
Caitlin Thompson: I totally agree with you. I also like he was smart, he was funny, he was engaged as you're here, and also he took the tube. He wasn't in tow with a like an entourage of eight or nine people, which I think for a lot of people on the pro tour, men or women that would have been the case, like, you know, a young talent in his hometown showing up, you know, sort of refreshingly willing to engage with people was really cool. He didn't show up with a posse you know.
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah, well, I like the guy that takes it tube. It's like us New Yorkers are taking the subway. We know it's the best way to get around, and we all know London traffic is not fun. So I think that was probably the wisest thing for him to do. And we as you will point out, Caitlin intelligent, funny guy and has a lot of pressure on his shoulders going into these two weeks. But I think he's going to embrace it. I think he's going to do really well. You too.
Caitlin Thompson: All right, without further ado, here's our chat with Jack Draper. Rennae, safe travels. We'll see you on the grass.
Rennae Stubbs: See you're on the grass kids.
Caitlin Thompson: Hello everybody. What is going on? Hi—I'm Caitlin Thompson. I'm the founder of Racquet and I'm super super thrilled to be here with an edition of what we call live & Direct tonight. I am incredibly excited and privileged to meet somebody I have not met before. Who is your World number four, your British number one and a tall drink of water, Jack Draper, please join me in welcoming Jack Draper, thank you so much for being here Jack, thank you for for coming as well. I appreciate it. You're a local, you took the tube.
Jack Draper: I did. Yeah, I live in Putney, so it's easy, too easy to get here to the tune.
Caitlin Thompson: I love it in London. I was asking Jack as we were getting ready if he can walk down the street without getting recognized.
Jack Draper: So far you can, Yeah, I don't.
Caitlin Thompson: I don't get reckon that that's going on too long, do you think. That's gonna last much longer?
Jack Draper: I don't know. I don't know. We'll find out. I'm pretty nookis.
Caitlin Thompson: You actually are extremely low key. But I do have to say you have had certainly the best season of your career, and I think if we were going to talk about this at the end of last year, I would have also said, you've had the best season of your career last year. So it just kind of keeps getting better. Talk to us a little bit about the year so far.
Jack Draper: I've got a lot of confidence early on in my career, had a lot of injuries, a lot of setbacks. Yeah, a lot of adversity I had to sort of get through, and then kind of as the last couple of years gone by, I've I've still been the same. I've kept the same work ethic. I've got really good people around me, and I think I've always had the tennis, but it's just been getting the mentality and the physicality right to perform at the highest level.
Caitlin Thompson: One of those people, as I understand it, is your brother. Having a brother on tour must be nice.
Jack Draper: I can.
Caitlin Thompson: Also, I have siblings, so I know that probably goes either way, right, Yeah.
Jack Draper: It's nice to me and my brother have unbelievable relationship somewhere and yeah, we understand be like no one else, and we live together and we don't argue too much. So it's nice to have blood around you. In the whole time.
Caitlin Thompson: Let's talk a little bit about Indian Wells. Our team at Racquet has been watching you play for a couple of years. Obviously, you did really well in our neck of the woods in New York last year. We took some incredible photographs, if I must say so myself, of you at Indian Wells and then you just kept winning and you kept winning and you kept winning. For those of you who don't know about Indian Wells in Palm Springs, California, it's the Fifth Slam, as they call it.
Jack Draper: It's a huge tournament.
Caitlin Thompson: I would argue—don't tell Rennae this—that it's more important than the Australian Open Open for debate, she doesn't like when I Australia. But it was a massive, massive tournament to win, and you just looked like you felt so comfortable along those desert hard, slow court to talk to us about that tournament because it was so far the biggest one that you've won. And it was really cool to watch up close.
Jack Draper: Yes, I mean, I don't know if anyone has seen Indian Wells, but the scenery layers just unbelievable to play, the crowds always amazing, and it is like the Fifth Grand Slam tournament which everyone wants to win. And yeah, I was fortunate enough to play some really good tennis this year, be some really good players along the way, and it definitely gave me a lot of confidence and just belief that I belong right the top highest level.
Caitlin Thompson: I suppose did you feel like a special feeling at the moment where you like, I only played in college, but even when I was a little kid, I was like, I might win this thing. Actually, guess, hold on your hats. Did you have any kind of premonition like that, like maybe this was going to be yours to seize?
Jack Draper: No, not really. In tennis, I respect everyone who plays, and they're unbelievable players. So to win it is, you know, in tennis, it's a losing sport. Really, you know, every week you're playing. Every week, you're trying your best to win. But there's so many, like I said, good players that can beat you. So I guess to win the title, that's something that doesn't happen too often. Obviously, you want it to happen all the time. You see with Federer and Rafa and no fact, they're just machines. They've done it year of the year of the year. But I wouldn't say that's the norm for even good players. So to come through on one of the biggest tournaments in the world something I'm still processing because in tennis you have to just keep going.
Caitlin Thompson: Yeah, you got to keep going. I have two kind of follow up questions to that number one, Let's let's go with the Big three because you mentioned Rafa Roger Novak. Novak's going to be playing this Wimbledon, but he's kind of made some noise that he's, you know, probably certainly at the tail end of his career, if not the last year. You know, you're part of this generation that is so exciting, so new, and really the post Big Three generation of young tennis players. What's that feel like? Are you guys all kind of pushing each other? It certainly looks that way from the outside.
Jack Draper: Yeah, definitely. I think tennis is in a really exciting place. You've obviously got our presence in it. Who are kind of leading away a little bit with stuff. I would say they've they've really set the half of the next group of players who are kind of following in their footsteps. Tennis has become like a really aggressive power sport, and so the margins are getting smaller and smaller. Yeah, but those guys have definitely stepped up after Rapper Roger Novak, and yeah, it's nice to be chasing them now like others have chased those other top boys.
Caitlin Thompson: Yeah, it feels like you guys are in a cohort like you're kind of in a little bit of a pack. I don't know if it feels like that.
Jack Draper: I don't know. There's a pack of really really good young players who are coming up who, yeah, don't want them to dominate like the ones before did.
Caitlin Thompson: Right, everybody's hungry, you know, exactly, nobody's taken their crap! So we talked a little bit about Indian wells. It's on hard courts. You made a stellar run in Madrid this year on clay. And you just came off of an excellent run of Queens on grass. Yeah, I mean you're a local. Is this your like home? I mean, it's gotta be your home turf.
Jack Draper: Yeah, it is home turf, it's always a bit different. Obviously coming home I'm not used to I'm used to being in the hotels and being out of my comfort zone, whereas I'm staying at home here obviously got crowd support behind me. Whereas when I go away, I mean I remember being in Australia at the start of the year and playing against Australians. I'm just getting like abuse for like four hours against other players, and that's the most mostly where I go. So to have the home support means that means a lot. Yeah, it's nice to be home, that's for sure.
Caitlin Thompson: And ahead of next week Wimbedon starts a week from today. You know, it's a faster surface. You've got to get low. You got to take everything up the rise. How are you what are you tweaking? What are you working on right now?
Jack Draper: Is that what you do? Yeah, Like it's a different surface. You have to get used to it. Very different transition from playing on the hard courts. And yeah, I think people think, oh, just because you're from England, like you must love the grass. It's like we never play on grass. So it's still a transition and adjustment. And yeah, getting used to that. And last week was good to get some and hopefully come when when and that can be playing some better standards.
Caitlin Thompson: I mean they look pretty good to me.
Jack Draper: Thank you high high standards.
Caitlin Thompson: That's right. We don't know each other, but my standards are extremely high. All right, here we are, last couple of questions and then I'm going to let you get to signing some collectibles doing a great This is not your first time in the collectible space. You did this in uh, you know, obviously we should say thank you to fanatics. Collectibles for having us tonight, we are going to take you back and sign some stuff. What is your what's your impression of the merch space, especially as people are starting to get you know, connected outs between collectibles and a sport like tennis, which kind of haven't been talking to each other so much in the last couple of years.
Jack Draper: Honestly, I don't know those about it, but I think it's a really cool concept, you know. I think having something that you can keep, like I know that memorabilia for me has always been something that I've always held on to. You know, even if it's like an accreditation from a tournament, you know that that means a lot to me. So to have your favorite athletes, or to have people that you're inspired by and to have their signature or to have something, you know, I think that that can be really inspiring.
Caitlin Thompson: When we were talking about I was talking with the Fanatics team earlier. They have some really special, rare stuff for you to sign that I don't know if you it might be a surprise to you who gets who's getting gifted if you get to walk out of here with something really special, because it's like mom, Grandma, I was saying, it would be my kid.
Jack Draper: Like something that I've done? Maybe my brother would like something. Joking, he definitely wouldn't want anything.
Caitlin Thompson: He has to live with you.
Jack Draper: So my god son. He's a little kid and he loves you. All that kind of start supporting him.
Caitlin Thompson: Amazing. All right, we'll let you go. Good luck next week. Thank you so much.
Jack Draper: Thanks for being here.
Caitlin Thompson: Please give it up for your British No. 1—let's go do some breaks. Thank you so much. Everybody.
