Jack Draper has been talked about as the subsequent male tennis participant to take up the mantle for Britain whereas Andy Murray contemplates impending retirement.
Draper has been having fun with an unimaginable run of kind from his first-round loss on the French Open simply three weeks earlier than his momentous win at Queen’s.
The timing was excellent. Draper secured his maiden ATP title in Stuttgart, then changed Cameron Norrie as British primary, and in the future after Murray was compelled to default at Queen’s, the 22-year-old shocked Carlos Alcaraz.
On the eve of Wimbledon, Draper is poised to hold British hopes and expectations within the males’s draw whereas it stays unclear if Murray will likely be match sufficient to compete.
Britain has, no less than in current reminiscence, all the time had one male hopeful at Wimbledon. Initially of the century, the nation’s hopes had been carried by Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. Then it was Murray who got here to the forefront, as Henman made his remaining look in a Davis Cup match in opposition to Croatia at Wimbledon. Now could be Draper’s alternative.
Who’s Jack Draper?
Draper was born in Sutton, and has had an affiliation with tennis from the beginning. His father, Roger is a former chief govt of Sport England the Garden Tennis Affiliation whereas his mom Nicky is a former British junior tennis champion.
In 2018, Draper reached his solely junior Grand Slam remaining at Wimbledon and misplaced to Tseng Chun-hsin in three units.
What has he achieved up to now?
Draper’s early profession was affected by damage, he made his ATP tour debut in 2021, nevertheless it was not a debut to recollect. He collapsed with a heat-related sickness and was compelled to retire.
Even then, Draper was thought-about one of many UK’s most promising younger gamers, and later that 12 months he knocked Jannik Sinner out of Queen’s with a shock consequence to safe his first ATP Tour win.
Draper has by no means gone past the fourth spherical of any Grand Slam up to now, and his finest consequence was the fourth spherical within the 2023 US Open, whereas he has by no means been previous the second spherical at Wimbledon.
What has Draper carried out in 2024?
This 12 months has been a formidable 12 months for the British teenager, from successful his maiden ATP title in Stuttgart, in solely his third remaining, beating 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini to say the trophy.
However it was in opposition to Alcaraz, who had received the French Open simply a few weeks beforehand, that Draper confirmed what he can obtain. He performed with freedom and used an aggressive model of tennis to safe an unimaginable win.
The consequence lifted Draper into the highest 30 of the dwell rankings and he might be seeded at Wimbledon.