Opportunity knocks for British No 1 Jack Draper with Tim Henman tipping the rising star to become a future Grand Slam champion, despite his French Open exit.
Draper missed out on the chance to face world No 1 Jannik Sinner at the French Open after slipping to a fourth-round defeat to Alexander Bublik.
The 23-year-old is now up to fourth in the live ATP rankings, behind only Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
Draper can look back at a successful clay season – having reached a final in Madrid and won matches for the first time at Roland Garros – before he heads for the green, green grass of home at Wimbledon.
But the injuries Draper suffered early in his career means he is lagging behind in terms of experience; the Bublik defeat was his 162nd Tour-level match while 22-year-old Alcaraz has played more than 300 and Sinner, only a few months older than Draper, has played over 350.
Henman, speaking on TNT Sports, said: “Jack’s trajectory has been absolutely fantastic this year. When you reflect on Australia he has those three five-set wins, goes on to hardcourt and wins his first Masters 1000. He’s never really played at this level on clay before for a whole season and makes the final in Madrid at a Masters 1000.
“He played well in Rome, fourth round here. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll be bitterly disappointed at the loss to Bublik because there was the opportunity of playing Sinner in the quarter-finals, but he’s still got so many opportunities.
“Right around the corner there are more opportunities, that’s grass, that’s playing at home, that’s Queen’s and Wimbledon, so there are many opportunities for Draper.
“Jack’s game is developing all the time and there are still areas of improvement and one of those is just the experience of being on the tour and playing these big matches.
“He’s got a few days when he can just put the rackets away and decompress. It’s a nice transition where he puts the clay-court shoes away and get those grass-court shoes ready.
Henman added: “This is all part of his journey, and he’s on such a steep learning curve. He’s made so many improvements. He’s going to have many more opportunities at Roland Garros and in Grand Slams in general. And I definitely think he’s going to win one of these in the future.”
Petchey: Grand Slam titles are hard to come by
Mark Petchey, coach of Emma Raducanu, has had his say and whether Draper can win a Grand Slam
However, Emma Raducanu’s current coach Mark Petchey feels that winning any of the sport’s marquee titles are hard to come by.
Petchey, the former coach of Andy Murray, said: “The transition will happen pretty quickly for Jack but the one thing that sticks out is that Grand Slams are so difficult to win. Not because you have to go through two weeks with the weather changes, you got seven opponents who can light it up against you and they come with different tools, they come with different weapons, they come with different strategies.
“When you see the dominance that Alcaraz has been doing, what Jannik has been doing, and obviously what the ‘Big Four’ did, you sit there and you’re amazed because on those days when Bublik lights things up, often they find a way to win and that’s going to be the big challenge for Jack through his career.
“We want to build him up, we’re super excited for him, but there are 128 players in the draw who have some incredible skills.”
Jim Courier, a two-time French Open champion, said: “Draper’s forehand has become one of the great forehands in men’s tennis, but he became a passenger against Bublik.
“It’s going to be disappointing for Jack but I personally think losses like this are easier for him to stomach because he didn’t really do anything wrong.”
Evert: He’s not intimidated by anybody
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of Jack Draper’s clash with Casper Ruud in the final of the Madrid Open
The legendary Chris Evert, who won 18 Grand Slams during her trophy-laden career, believes Draper “has it all”.
“I think he’s worked hard on that, and he’s worked really hard on his fitness. And especially on the red clay, these players have to be fit, because you’re not having three or four-shot rallies. You’re having 10, 11, 12-shot rallies. And if you go five sets, cardio-wise, you’ve got to be really fit. So I see the difference that he’s made by being in the gym and really working on himself physically,” said the American.
“He feels in the top 10. He feels like he belongs. He’s brimming with confidence. He’s not cocky or arrogant by any means, but he has that inner confidence and the belief that he belongs and that he can beat anybody.
“He’s not intimidated by anybody. That’s great to see.”
Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the US Open in New York, live on Sky Sports in 2025 or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
