Two weeks of prime tennis motion begins at Wimbledon subsequent week (July 1), with Jack Draper among the many British hopefuls in motion.
Draper, 22, is seeded on the All England Membership grand slam for the primary time after reaching the world’s prime 30 after a nice 2024.
Being seeded means Draper wouldn’t meet one other seed till the third spherical, boosting his hopes of triumphing at SW19.
So who’s the person bidding to emulate two-champion Andy Murray by reaching glory on Sunday, July 14?
Right here’s all you should know.
Draper was born on December 22, 2001, in Sutton, London, England.
His father, Roger, was the previous CEO of the Garden Tennis Affiliation (LTA), which oversees tennis within the UK.
His mom, Nicky, was a junior British tennis champion.
Draper began taking part in tennis as a two-and-a-half-year-old toddler on the Sutton Tennis and Squash Membership by hitting a ball in opposition to a wall. His mom, a coach on the membership, took him to his first coaching session aged six.
Draper’s brother Ben, 25, performed school tennis on the College of California-Berkeley and is finding out for a grasp’s diploma at Wake Forest College within the US.
Draper had a profitable junior profession, reaching a career-high Worldwide Tennis Federation (ITF) rating of No. 7.
Draper turned skilled after this and has steadily climbed the ATP rankings.
Draper with the trophy after successful his first ATP title on the 2024 Stuttgart Open
AP
Draper has gained 5 titles on the ATP Challenger Tour and 7 on the ITF Tour.
He’s identified for his highly effective left-handed serve and aggressive baseline sport.
He possesses a robust forehand and a stable all-around sport, which has drawn comparisons to different left-handed gamers resembling Rafael Nadal.
He ended 2022 within the prime 50 after rising a surprising 223 locations. His greatest grand slam efficiency thus far got here on the 2023 US Open, the place he reached the fourth spherical.
Draper celebrates after beating the defending champion and 2023 Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz 7-6, 6-3 within the Queen’s Membership second spherical on June 20, 2024
Getty Photos for LTA
Draper idolised Andy Murray rising up and hopes to be taught from Murray when the Scot retires.
“When he has stopped, I will probably be contacting him much more, asking him for opinions on sure issues, asking him what he has tried and if it has labored for him,” Sky Sports activities quoted him as saying.
“I’m positively going to lean on Andy rather a lot and I’m positive he’ll wish to assist me as a result of he has at all times been very supportive of me.”
The 6ft4in Draper has courted consideration away from tennis for his beauty.
He appeared in Vogue in June 2024, telling the famend trend and life-style journal: “I fairly take pleasure in being in entrance of the digicam. If I’m wanting good, that’s.”
Draper helps Manchester United and his favorite athlete is the blended martial arts (MMA) star Conor McGregor.
Accidents and sickness have blighted his progress
Draper might want to maintain an in depth eye on his bodily situation this 12 months after a collection of accidents and mid-match retirements plagued him in 2023.
For instance, a shoulder downside ended his 2023 French Open marketing campaign, resulting in Draper describing himself as “the man who’s injured rather a lot”.
This dominated Draper out of your entire British grasscourt season in 2023.
“My physique was simply product of glass at that time,” Draper informed the BBC. “I believe it was sort of a blessing in disguise as a result of ever since I got here again from these accidents I’ve been actually placing in nice work.”
