Boris Becker warns Jack Draper he ‘wasn’t even close’ in brutal verdict of Brit’s Wimbledon campaign

Oli Dickson Jefford 19 Jul 2025 1:45 PM

Pictured: Jack Draper and Boris Becker.

Boris Becker has warned Jack Draper that he was not “even close” to making a deep run at Wimbledon as he offered his verdict on the Brit’s Grand Slam form.

Fourth seed Draper was hiding home expectations at Wimbledon but was beaten in the second round by former finalist Marin Cilic, the Croatian triumphing in four sets.

The 23-year-old is yet to make it past round two at his home Grand Slam, with one round-one and three round-two exits across his four Wimbledon appearances to date.

Draper has soared up the ATP Rankings over the past twelve months, most notably cracking the top 20 after reaching the semi-final of the US Open last summer.

He would then break into the top 10 after winning his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells in March, and has gone on to reach a career-high of world No 4.

However, the world No 5 has not embarked on a deep Slam run since his ascendancy towards the top, with his Wimbledon exit preceded by a round-four defeat to the unseeded Alexander Bublik at Roland Garros.

Draper was considered among the leading contenders at the All England Club, though he ultimately joined a significant seeded exodus across the early stages of the event.

And, the Brit has now been warned by six-time Grand Slam winner Becker that he “has to perform” well at the majors, considering his rise up the rankings.

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“He wasn’t even close to winning; he lost in four sets,” said the German, speaking on his podcast Becker Petkovic.

“I think he’s realising for the first time that at Wimbledon, as a British player, you don’t win the tournament with your forehand or backhand, but with your mental strength. There’s an expectation, you have to perform.

“He was talking as if he admired Andy Murray, saying he’d managed to win the tournament twice. Yeah, okay, but he did it thanks to his attitude, his mental strength, his preparation.

“Draper should be able to qualify for the second week, he should be in the top three or four, because that’s what his ranking says.

“But he has to perform well in the Grand Slam tournaments; he lost to Bublik in the round of 16 in Paris, and to Cilic in the second round at Wimbledon. It’s not enough.”

After his Wimbledon disappointment, Draper will look to bounce back across the hard-court summer, where he has performed well in the past.

The world No 5’s hard-court swing will begin at the Canadian Open in Toronto, the first of two Masters 1000 events in the summer.

Draper has not played in Toronto previously, but has played twice when the event has been staged in Montreal, with the men’s and women’s events switching between the cities in alternate years.

He reached the quarter-final on his event debut back in 2022, before a round-one defeat in 2024.

Draper then will head to the Midwest for the Cincinnati Open, where he will look to back up his quarter-final showing from his debut appearance at the tournament twelve months ago.

The world No 5 will then head to Flushing Meadows for the US Open, which starts on August 24th.