Jack Draper has been talked about as the next male tennis player to take up the mantle for Britain while Andy Murray contemplates impending retirement.
Draper has been enjoying an incredible run of form from his first-round loss at the French Open just three weeks before his momentous win at Queen’s.
The timing was perfect. Draper secured his maiden ATP title in Stuttgart, then replaced Cameron Norrie as British number one, and one day after Murray was forced to default at Queen’s, the 22-year-old stunned Carlos Alcaraz.
On the eve of Wimbledon, Draper is poised to carry British hopes and expectations in the men’s draw while it remains unclear if Murray will be fit enough to compete.
Britain has, at least in recent memory, always had one male hopeful at Wimbledon. At the start of the century, the nation’s hopes were carried by Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. Then it was Murray who came to the forefront, as Henman made his final appearance in a Davis Cup match against Croatia at Wimbledon. Now is Draper’s opportunity.
Who is Jack Draper?
Draper was born in Sutton, and has had an association with tennis from the start. His father, Roger is a former chief executive of Sport England the Lawn Tennis Association while his mother Nicky is a former British junior tennis champion.
In 2018, Draper reached his only junior Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and lost to Tseng Chun-hsin in three sets.
What has he achieved so far?
Draper’s early career was affected by injury, he made his ATP tour debut in 2021, but it was not a debut to remember. He collapsed with a heat-related illness and was forced to retire.
Even then, Draper was considered one of the UK’s most promising young players, and later that year he knocked Jannik Sinner out of Queen’s with a shock result to secure his first ATP Tour win.
Draper has never gone beyond the fourth round of any Grand Slam so far, and his best result was the fourth round in the 2023 US Open, while he has never been past the second round at Wimbledon.
What has Draper done in 2024?
This year has been an impressive year for the British youngster, from winning his maiden ATP title in Stuttgart, in only his third final, beating 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini to claim the trophy.
But it was against Alcaraz, who had won the French Open just a couple of weeks previously, that Draper showed what he can achieve. He played with freedom and used an aggressive brand of tennis to secure an incredible win.
The result lifted Draper into the top 30 of the live rankings and he could be seeded at Wimbledon.
