British tennis star Jack Draper appears unfazed by the growing expectations, increased attention, and widespread support surrounding his journey. As the UK`s leading hope for a Grand Slam title, he is confidently navigating the heightened pressure that typically accompanies success.
While caution is often warranted given past premature projections for British players, Draper`s body of work provides sufficient evidence to believe he can challenge the sport`s elite.
Entering Wimbledon ranked world No. 4 and widely regarded as the successor to the legendary Sir Andy Murray, Draper minimised the idea of new or different nerves following his recent ascent. He secured his spot in the second round against Sebastian Baez earlier this week.
“I was thinking before the match, not particularly [feeling any added pressure],” Draper stated.
“I kind of play every match like my life depends on it anyway. So all the stuff around it, I haven`t really thought of.”
“It`s almost better when you`re in the tournament than before the tournament. I obviously was aware of the build up and all that sort of stuff, but I think my preparation has been really good and I feel confident, so I`m not thinking too much about that.”
After showing significant promise in 2024, Draper`s performance over the past year, including winning three titles and the prestigious Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells in March, marks 2025 as a definitive breakout season.
“I like to focus on the things I can control,” he added.
“I`m doing all the right things on a daily basis and giving myself the best chance to go out there and do the best I can, and that`s all I can do.”
“Obviously I`m the one who wants to do amazingly well as well, so I put pressure on myself to be in a good way.”
Draper still has limited experience on the Wimbledon courts, having played only five matches across three main draw appearances since 2021 and never advancing beyond the second round.
He received a valuable lesson this time last year with a straight-sets loss to fellow Brit Cameron Norrie. Draper appeared a shadow of the player who had claimed his first title at the Stuttgart Open just weeks prior.
To his credit, he bounced back impressively by reaching the semi-finals of the US Open later in the year, eventually falling to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
A more evolved, stronger, and seasoned version of Draper has returned to Wimbledon this summer.
“I think the loss to Cam definitely really hurt me last year,” said Draper. “I felt like he played really well on the day and I felt like it did get to me.”
“The pressure I was putting on myself, I definitely look back a year on and I feel a lot calmer in myself this year. I feel a lot more confident in my ability not only to play but to problem solve, to know how to play in five sets.”
“I took from that that I needed to be mentally better. Last year was my first year on the tour so I was still figuring out a lot of things, and when I come against experienced guys I think maybe I`ve got my weaknesses a little bit, especially someone I camp and practice with a lot.”
“So I think it was just another chance to look at myself and mature again, and realise that I need to improve so much if I`m going to be at the point where I`m going to be a top player.”
Draper believes he has yet to find his “best level” on grass, unlike his performances at the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year, where he reached the fourth round, and at the US Open.
He also impressed on clay, not only at Indian Wells but also by reaching the final of the Madrid Open, where he was defeated by Casper Ruud. In doing so, he became the youngest British male player in the Open Era to reach ATP finals on all three surfaces.
“On the hard courts of the US Open or even on the clay this year, I think I`ve found my best level for what I can play right now,” he explained.
“I feel like I haven`t yet found that on the grass, but I feel like it`s coming. So I`m looking forward to that moment when it all comes together and I can really show my best level.”
“I`ve still got so much to unlock on the grass and I think that`s really exciting for me.”
“I love Wimbledon. If there`s any tournament I want to play my best, there`s any tournament that I want to win, it`s this one, so I`m going to do everything in my power and everything in my control to get to that point.”
Draper`s next opponent is 36-year-old Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion and a finalist at Wimbledon in 2017 (losing to Roger Federer).
Cilic defeated Raphael Collignon in straight sets on Tuesday and recently won the Nottingham Open, which helped him return to the top 100 rankings. This marks Cilic`s first appearance at Wimbledon since 2021.
“In Nottingham, anyone who wins a Challenger on the grass before they come here, they`re feeling good on the grass,” said Draper.
“It`s going to be a really tough challenge. I`m ready for that. I have huge respect for him.”
“He`s a really dangerous player and someone that I`m going to have to play really well against if I`m going to give myself a chance.”
Should Draper win, he will face either Fabian Marozsan or Jaume Munar in the following round.
