I'm going for things that I thought were never possible

Jack Draper is in buoyant mood after his Indian Wells triumph and the world No 7 has his sights on the majors

- Simon Cambers

There is an odd paradox at play when it comes to sport at elite level. Aspiring professionals spend most of their youth dreaming of making it, only to get there and then wonder if they truly belong. Even Roger Federer doubted himself for many years.

It has taken Jack Draper a long time to truly believe he deserves to be considered as one of the world's best players. Tipped from a young age as a future star, he had talent as a junior but, as with Andy Murray, his body has taken a while to catch up, with a number of injuries interrupting his momentum.

But as the clay-court season begins this week at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, Draper stands as the world No 7, having cracked the top 10 on the back of his first Masters 1000 triumph in Indian Wells last month. The 23-year-old is also No 3 in the current-year rankings and with very few ranking points to defend up to and including Wimbledon, the left-hander has a golden chance to rise further.

His confidence has never been higher but he is always asking more of himself, never convinced that he has done enough. "Obviously, I have confidence in my tennis and confidence in myself," Draper says, relaxing with the Mediterranean sea rippling in the background.

"Especially when I go out and compete, I feel like I have a sort of personality on the match court, where I just compete for every ball, and I feel amazing, especially in that scenario. But it's one of those things, when I first came on to the Tour, it's kind of like you have that impostor syndrome, you know? You're in the changing rooms with all these amazing players, and you're thinking: 'Do I belong here? Do I belong at this sort of venue?'