Jack Draper hailed as ‘a contender to win Wimbledon’ as Tim Henman gives his verdict
Jack Draper is one of the rising stars of the ATP Tour after his stunning win in the Indian Wells Masters earlier this month and now he has been hailed as a contender to win Wimbledon this year.
Draper burst into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career, with his winning run in his first ATP Masters 1000 victory incuding some big wins against Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz and a convincing win against Holger Rune in the final.
His form has inspired Sky Sports Tennis commentator Jonathan Overend to declare Draper is a strong contender to become the first English player to win Wimbledon since 1936, as he made a bullish prediction.
“I absolutely think he can win Wimbledon,” Overend told Sky Sports. “I don’t think we should be scared of saying that.
“I actually said at the start of the year that I thought a British player would make the Wimbledon final. Absolutely no logic behind that other than waking up in the middle of the night and having a premonition, and Draper is the leading contender out of the likes of Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu.
“No one would want to draw him and now he’s into the world’s top eight, that means he only plays those players ahead of him at the quarter-final stage at the earliest, so that’s a really little significant landmark in the rankings.
“Once you’re inside the top eight that’s a big bonus at the Grand Slams, and it’s on grass. It’s in his backyard, it’s a couple of miles from his home. It’s absolutely perfectly set up.
“I’m not saying it’s going to happen but he’s a live contender for Wimbledon 2025.”
Former British No 1 Tim Henman also believes Draper is now a leading contender for the biggest titles in tennis, as he suggested his rise to the top has been carefully mapped out.
“It’s absolutely fantastic the way that Jack’s been playing and I’m not really that surprised,” said Henman, after he was announced as Team Europe’s vice-captain for this year’s Laver Cup.
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“I think what is taking place now is the pieces of the puzzle coming together and those pieces have always been there, but if anything, it’s just perhaps been a few of the little injuries that have kept him from building that momentum in tournament play.
“That’s what I think is exciting – he’s seven in the world, he’s just won his first Masters 1000 and to me, he still hasn’t really played a consistent 12-18 months on Tour.
“I think when you take a deeper dive into his game, there are very few weaknesses and still areas to improve on.
“The quality of his serving has been huge, hitting his spots very well, the power on the forehand was brilliant to watch in Indian Wells.
“I would like him to finish more points at the net. When you’re that aggressive you can bring that extra string to your bow, but for a big guy, he’s a great athlete who moves well.
“I think that’s what I find exciting for the next decade, hopefully.
“Jack is doing all the right things,” Henman added. “My message would be ‘more of the same’.
“I think Indian Wells and Miami are the perfect example of the life of a professional tennis player in that you’ve got the greatest high of his career and then losing the first match in Miami.
“As frustrating and disappointing as that may be, that goes with the territory. Keep developing, keep working hard and who knows what Jack can go on to achieve.
“He doesn’t know and we don’t know, but he’s going to find out and I’ll certainly be doing my bit to persuade him to be involved because I think he will be a big asset for Team Europe.”
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