Education Corner Podcast Interview with Ben Draper

EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST

EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH BRITISH TENNIS PLAYER

Ben Draper

Ben Draper talks about his exciting tennis career to date, his early introduction to the sport through his parents and attending Reed’s School, in Cobham, with his younger brother Jack Draper. Further to this he discusses his experience at UC Berkeley, USA, and he also offers some top tennis tips for success!

We’re thrilled to welcome you, Ben, to the Education Corner podcast and to be able to hear a little more about your tennis career and how well you are doing. Would you like to tell us a little about your early tennis career?

Like a lot of people who play tennis, I started playing tennis at an early age. Tennis runs in my family, my grandmother was a very good player and coach, and my mother was a very good player. My brother is also a very good player. I was always around tennis. My mum used to coach at a tennis and squash club and my brother and I would have time after school where she was coaching. My brother and I would sometimes have time to kill and we’d have a racket in our hand, it looked massive in comparison to us, but that is how we learnt to hit the ball for the first time. From then onwards we were always close to tennis, we always loved watching tennis. We continued to play and improve right until now.

How old were you when you first held a tennis racket?

It was a long, long time ago. I think I was probably very little. I think I was two or three years old. I started to take a real interest in it at about five or six. I remember my brother was hitting a ball against a garage door when he’d just started walking almost, so he was very young.

Richard, you had something to say?

Richard Garrett: Well, I just think that it is very interesting that you hear Ben saying that he started playing at two, for example, in one of the participation schemes that I have set up in Yorkshire, there were nine, ten and eleven year olds who had never ever seen a tennis court before they were invited to play in the community tennis festival.

It’s something where the earlier you have access to it, the more it gets in your bones, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, not everyone gets the access that they should.

Richard Garrett: No, and I think that is one of the most important things. I think that for the development of any sport or any interest, you have to try and get early access. Not only early access, but also the opportunity for those who start playing, and show potential to develop in the same way that Ben has done.

That leads onto my next question in a way. You have mentioned that tennis has played a big part in your family life, your father served as the Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association, and your mother was a former coach and athlete. How were they able to support you and your brother in the early years?

As I mentioned, my family has always been in tennis, but I think that the number one way in which they really helped was just by investing

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Ben Draper talking tennis

“My brother and I would sometimes have time to kill and we’d have a racket in our hand, it looked massive in comparison to us, but that is how we learnt to hit the ball for the first time.”

their time. Whether it be taking us to tournaments on the weekends, training after school or work, it’s just a huge time commitment, and they were always a support. Whether it be travelling with myself and my brother, being an emotional support board when you have just lost a tough match. They were fantastic and always supportive of us and always pushed us to try and be the best we could be!

Richard Garrett: There is a really, really important point that Ben is making there. So much of sporting success is developed through the time and trouble that the parents take. Sometimes, that shared aspiration in a particular interest is, sadly, just not there. Also, if you look at the history of the High Performance Scheme that Ben was a beneficiary of at school, when that first started, the facilities were located off the school site. This meant that the players, similar to having the “I learnt how to play doubles at Reed’s and I learnt how to be a part of a team, which I think is crucial and it has helped me very much in my tennis in the US.”

parents running them around, had to have a driver that took them to the facility. To achieve highly advantageous and high performance schemes, you have to have it all located in the same space. Not only that, you have to have a very close proximity with the school on site. Not even in Ben or Jack’s case can you guarantee that there is going to be that success, and they need to have something that they can fall back on if things don’t work out.

We have a lot of children who come to us through the consultancy who are on the circuit, and we covered a parent who was also a competitive player, and that was also one of the points that they raised, making sure that you still get the education, so that you do have a back-up in case you don’t make it all the way.

Can you talk to me a little bit about how Reed’s School supported you with your tennis career?

Richard Garrett: Fantastic teachers weren’t they Ben?

Ben Draper: Fantastic, fantastic, that was going to be my answer, Richard. I think that Reed’s helped me massively. I think that at Reed’s, I was given the opportunity to have a place and the resources around me to really allow me to focus on both my tennis and my academics. As Richard mentioned, we had the tennis facility on site, I could go to class in the morning, sometimes even waking up early. At 6:45am I did a lot of fitness in the indoor centre. Then we’d go to class and we’d have tennis in the afternoon and it was a very convenient set up for players, so Reed’s has helped me massively. I appreciate all the time that I spent there, and I look back now and think: “Wow, the set up there we had was amazing!”, and I think that I didn’t

TURN TO P30 to read about Seyi Aiyegbusi at Reed’s School

Reed’s and Berkeley US

quite appreciate it at the time. I didn’t quite realise just how much time and effort went on behind the scenes and that Richard played in setting up the High Performance Centre; it just helped me immeasurably. Richard Garrett: Ben, I’ve got a bit of a memory lane question for you: Am I right in thinking that when you first joined Reed’s, you weren’t quite into the performance bit? You had to demonstrate? Ben Draper: Yep, that is absolutely correct. When I first came to Reed’s, one of the things that Richard has just mentioned, is that at Reed’s I now had players around me who were of a similar standard. We would always push each other on in practice. There was an element of almost jealousy when one player would go off and win a tournament. Perhaps not jealousy, but it was inspiring. This person has just done this, wow, I could go on and achieve that too. Initially, I wasn’t in the Academy, but I put in the work, and I think that after a year of joining I was upgraded to the Academy.

Well done.

It was during your time at Reed’s that you met

“Everyone is unique and I think that these colleges want to hear your story. They are interested to hear where you came from. Don’t be afraid to put your achievement out there.”

your partner, Jack Molloy, and went on to win 3 ITF Double titles - how did this make you feel and what did you learn from this experience?

I think that one of the biggest things that I will take away from Reed’s is the people that I met there. I am still very close to all of them. Jack was another great player who was at Reed’s with me. We were both training together every day, you end up spending more time with the people who you are playing tennis with than with your own family. You really get to know one another very well. You are also trying to push each other on, inspiring one another. I learnt how to play doubles at Reed’s and I learnt how to be a part of a team, which I think is crucial and it has helped me very much in my tennis in the US.

What did you find were the biggest challenges you faced in your school years?

I think that knowing what to prioritise is a very difficult challenge. Especially when you are trying to play tennis to a high level, and you are trying to achieve good grades. There has to be some point where you make a decision to prioritise something on certain weekends where you know that you are not going to get a great grade in this class because you have been playing tennis all weekend. Or the other way around, maybe you need to study for an exam and you might have to sacrifice a bit of your tennis, so that is a challenging thing that you have to manage. It is also tough mentally to have to focus on two different things at once. I remember, you have been in the classroom for several hours and you go onto the tennis court and your mind is thinking of History and Geography and Maths, and you have to really focus on your tennis and improve in that session. There were the most challenging aspects when I was still at school.

Jack, your brother, turned professional in 2018 and recently did very well at Wimbledon playing against Novak Djokovic - how did that make you feel?

I was incredibly proud of him and everything that he had achieved. Obviously, it’s surreal that I’ve grown up with Jack and I’ve played tennis with him on the garage door since we were kids. Now, all of a sudden, he is walking out in front of, arguably, the best player of all time, on the biggest court of all time, in front of a packed house, opening up the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. It’s a surreal feeling. I still remember when the draw was announced, I was at home, just having a cup of tea. I almost choked on it because I was so shocked that he was actually playing Djokovic, you know. We played with each other before we finished practice, pretending we’re about to serve these people, saying: “You’ve got to hit an ace!” Now it was actually happening! I was incredibly proud.

You have just completed a four year tennis scholarship at UC Berkeley. What advice and support were you given with your application, and do you have any advice for other young people seeking a sports scholarship programme in the US?

Firstly, I think that the UC colleges’ sports system is incredible. The amount of resources that they have there to enable you to excel in the classroom and on the tennis court is crazy. They have the most amazing set up in the world. For someone like me, who would want to have a backup option, certainly to my tennis, it gave me the opportunity to earn a degree whilst playing high level tennis. For people who are applying, I’d tell them to tell your story. Everyone is unique and I think that these colleges want to hear your story. They are interested to hear where you came from. Don’t be afraid to put your achievement out there.

How have you adapted to studying in the US?

Balancing academics and athletics is something that I already had experienced at Reed’s, which really helped me transition to the US. I think it is a challenge finding the balance between the two. You have to get really good at time management and be able to switch off from school work or tennis so that you can focus on the other challenge.

Have there been any challenges that you have faced since going there?

I think that one of the biggest things about going to college and playing tennis, for example, is that

tennis is usually a very individual sport. When you play it in the States, you are playing within a team. There are some days that you can have a really good day and play exceptionally well in your match, but if the team is having a bad day, then things will still go badly. So when I initially came here, it was a challenge of learning that I’m not just competing for myself, I am competing for something much greater than that. If you have a terrible loss, you know, you don’t have much time to think about that loss. You have to get right back onto the other court to support your peers.

That leads onto my next question, so how can the crowd affect your game either positively or negatively?

Yeah, I think that the key there is that the crowd can affect you either positively or negatively. I think that whenever you are playing in front of a crowd, you have nerves. Sometimes you can go out there, hit the first two balls, and think you are playing well, then you settle in and maybe your opponent is a little bit nervous and they feel unsettled. You can get an advantage quite quickly because of the crowd. It can also work in the other way. With the crowd watching you can sometimes freeze up a little bit and start rushing. When you have a crowd that is really supportive of you it can really help, it can also demoralise the other person as well.

Which coaches have made the most significant impact on your game? Why and how?

Prior to going to Reed’s I was with a coach called Justin Sherring. I think that he was brilliant technically and I think that he is a fantastic coach. At Reed’s I was with Ben Harren, Nick Greenhouse, and Tony Lloyd. Having the blend of those three guys was really helpful for me. It gave me different perspectives on the technical and tactical aspects. I’d say that these three coaches had the most profound impact on my tennis career during my time at Reed’s, competing with other players who were of a similar standard. Past that, my coaches at UC Berkeley, and most recently Wake Forest, have all really helped me. Richard Garrett: Ben, I’ve got a question. If you were thinking about applying for or were sending a child to a school or applying for a university place, and you were thinking about pursuing a specialism like tennis. What sorts of things would you be looking out for to help them make your decision? Ben Draper: I think that one thing to get right is the coach. As I said, you end up spending all day with your teammates and coaches. If you have a good coach who both knows their stuff but is also a great human being, then it makes your life a lot easier.

“There are some days that you can have a really good day and play exceptionally well in your match, but if the team is having a bad day, then things will still go badly.”

Top tennis tips

It is quite an important relationship.

It’s so crucial, and it can be the difference between you really enjoying your time at college or not as much and having to transfer. Make sure that you get the right coach and the right mentor who is going to guide you through college.

What have you been studying at UC Berkeley?

I did Pre Law, so I did Legal Studies at Berkeley and I really enjoyed it.

What has been the highlight of your tennis career to date?

I’d say that competing at Junior Wimbledon. As a young kid who was aspiring to play tennis, you’re always going to dream of playing in front of a crowd at Wimbledon. I was fortunate enough to get that opportunity. I managed to win »

a round there. I still remember, trying to get to sleep the night before and it just wasn’t happening. I was thinking: “Oh god, I need to get some rest.” As we mentioned previously with the crowd, I got out there and I won the first set six love. I think I was just on adrenaline and in the zone. Then I got a little nervous, but I managed to win in three sets. I’d say that that is the highlight of my tennis career to date.

What advice would you give to a young person who wants to pursue a sporting career?

I would say that you really have to enjoy the process and really enjoy the journey, the ups and the downs, because there are moments that are terrible when you have lost a tight match and you feel so down. But there are also those extreme highs as well. Looking back on it now, maybe I didn’t fully appreciate how much fun I had during every training session and every practice. I was out there practising with my friends every day. I’d say enjoy the journey, enjoy the hard work, because you only get one shot at it.

It involves quite a lot of resilience I imagine.

Yeah, enjoy the tough moments because that is what builds you and makes you stronger.

How does RMG Associates support children/ families with tennis?

Richard Garrrett: From my perspective, throughout my life I’ve had a number of different incarnations. All of them have been centred upon creating different opportunities for young people. With RMG Associates, we are in a number of different parts of the country, beginning with participation programmes. We are then developing from those programmes, if we are lucky enough, into a company of high performance. We have funded a lot of programmes. There were two programmes, one was more embryonic than the other. There is one in Yorkshire, there is one in the Midlands, there are two in London. I have just started one in East Kent. We’re aiming to help thousands of young people, getting them to pick up tennis rackets, putting coaches in place. In certain circumstances I am able to help with the funding of those situations. However, that is not my primary focus. My primary focus is to show other organisations how we can attract investment because of what we put in place. It is the story and the structure that enables funding to be attracted.

Are you working specifically with tennis?

Richard Garrett: No, I work in sport, STEM, and scholarships and bursaries in general. I also work within some elements of wellbeing and mental health. We try to create those programmes and groups of schools across the educational divide, working together to achieve things. Ben, as a former pupil of mine, will know that I am fairly driven about trying to create more accessible opportunities for everybody. If there isn’t a theme of that, then I almost don’t want to know.

The UK is currently very divided, I think it is really important that people address this from this perspective.

“As a young kid who was aspiring to play tennis, you’re always going to dream of playing in front of a crowd at Wimbledon. I was fortunate enough to get that opportunity.”

Yes. Ben, just to finish off, do you have a funniest moment for us?

I’m not sure I could pinpoint one, but like I said, I didn’t appreciate how much fun I was having at the time. All the good fun, banter and coach journeys I have done too.

We would like to thank both Ben Draper and Richard Garrett (RMG Associates) for giving up their time to speak to us.

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