Jack Draper gets a glowing Wimbledon endorsement by former world No 1
Jack Draper is set to experience his first Wimbledon as the great hope of the home nation and some have suggested the pressure of the moment may be too much for him.
Andy Murray took time to warm to the challenge of being the Brit trying to win the biggest tournament of them all on home soil and now Draper has accepted that mantle.
Draper has enjoyed a stunning 2025 that included his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells and a break into the top four of the rankings, which is piling the pressure on the 23-year-old heading into Wimbledon.
Now he has been given a glowing endorsement by former world No 1 Mats Wilander, who believes the player looking to shake up the Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Grand Slam domination can go close at Wimbledon.
“I think Jack Draper is the guy that can handle the pressure,” said Eurosport analyst Wilander.
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“I think he wants it really, really badly. But I think he has also realised that wanting it really badly is not enough. You’ve got to need to win these tournaments and need to use the crowd to your advantage. Because that’s what great champions do; they need to win tournaments. Everybody wants to.
“I think Jack Draper is one of those who needs to become successful and win Grand Slam tournaments.”
Despite his positive words for Draper, Wilander suggested the big frame he carries with him onto court could work against him on grass.
“He’s not as good a grass court player compared to someone like Carlos Alcaraz because of the movement,” believes Wilander.
“In saying that, I think Jack Draper is an unbelievable mover for such a big guy. He’s a great athlete.
“I think his backhand works great on the grass court because it’s flat and it’s hit low. I think the forehand could work if he has time because he puts so much spin on the ball.
“And when the ball bounces a bit lower, if you’re able to put topspin on the ball, then obviously you can hit harder from the baseline, even though the bounce is low because you can spin it over the net.
“Obviously, the serve is a huge weapon because it’s left-handed, but also because it’s a big serve, so he can come forward. So he really has a great game.
“I’m not sure about the movement until I see him out there, how his balance is going to be, because on other surfaces, you don’t really think about balance on a grass court.
“On a grass court, on a green grass court, you think about how does somebody literally put ice skates on their feet and still stay on their feet and be able to push off. And I don’t know that until I actually see how he moves this year on a grass court.”
Draper is in a tough section of the draw at Wimbledon and starts off with a match against the dangerous Sebastian Baez on Tuesday.
Mats Wilander was speaking to Eurosport, which will provide coverage of every match at Wimbledon in 11 markets in Europe as well as showing a daily highlights programme on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland.
