Draper silences doubters and is ready for Wimbledon

To pin-point the exact moment when British No 1 Jack Draper launched his ascent to the upper echelons of men’s tennis, you’d need only go back 12 months this very weekend.

- KIERAN JACKSON

Off the back of a disappointing first-round exit at the 2024 French Open, Draper broke his ATP title duck with a statement triumph on the grass in Stuttgart. That week, as he has since acknowledged, something clicked in his big-hitting, flamboyant lefty game.

A few days later, the Briton outgunned Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s. While the Spaniard would go on to win his second title at SW19 a few weeks later, Draper slumped to a disappointing second-round loss to compatriot Cameron Norrie.

However, what has followed has been splendid. A US Open semi-final, a title in Vienna last October and a Masters 1000 victory in Indian Wells in March – a tournament seen by many as the fifth Grand Slam. Yet, most impressive of all? A newfound physical and mental resilience to compete with the very best, week in, week out.

The net result? A career-high ranking of world No 4 for the 23year-old from Sutton. Frustratingly, he will enter Queen’s on Monday at No 5, behind Novak Djokovic, with his Stuttgart points dropping off. But the race to be fourth seed at Wimbledon – with the prospect of avoiding the likes of Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz until the semi-final – is very much on, as Draper returns to Queen’s this week.

The summer of ’24 was a huge turning point. Draper is the son of former LTA chief executive Roger and ex-British junior tennis champion Nicky. He has struggled immensely with injuries and physical fitness since turning professional in 2021. Shoulder and hip issues – remember Andy Murray’s issues with the latter – have plagued him, while he has regularly vomited on court in humid conditions.