The British star has reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time at the US Open and the American tennis great expects the player to capitalise on his major breakthrough.

McEnroe told Eurosport: "He certainly benefitted from a favourable draw, there's no question about that, but I think that he's playing the game with more abandon. Using his height to his advantage more.

"He still, to me, has a tendency to stand too far back, because he's got a big game. Being a lefty, the players don't see that as often, obviously, so I knew he was going to be good.

"Even his movement is better than I thought and so I think that means he could easily contend on a more regular basis, and certainly be a regular in the top 10."

Draper will take on world number one Jannik Sinner in his semi-final at Flushing Meadows on Friday (06.09.24) and McEnroe thinks that Brit will enter the match with a feeling of freedom as he will be the underdog.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion said: "Well, obviously he's a big underdog, and it's a big step up. (Alex) De Minaur, in a way, was happy to be there because he had been hurt and hadn't played since Wimbledon.

"I remember the first time I got to the Wimbledon Centre Court, my legs were shaking. I was playing Jimmy Connors, who was one of the top guys.

"Obviously, there's more expectation, in a way, now that he's made this run. But also you're way more excited.

"I mean, I don't know when he stepped into New York that he was thinking, ‘I'm going to get to the semis’.

"He's already gained quite a bit, so at this point he's got a lot more to gain than to lose. He doesn't have pretty much anything to lose, so that should take some of the pressure off."