British No. 1 Jack Draper feels prepared to take on the expectations of the nation at Wimbledon, marking the first tournament since the retirement of two-time champion Sir Andy Murray.
Draper heads into his home Grand Slam currently ranked fourth in the world, a significant achievement following a year in which he has secured three titles, including the prestigious Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells in March.
Despite his recent rise, the 23-year-old has limited past success at Wimbledon, having won only two matches in his career here. He was eliminated in the second round last year by fellow British player Cameron Norrie.
This year, Draper is seen as a potential title contender, though his path is challenging. The draw includes tough possible opponents such as Alexander Bublik (who recently beat him at the French Open), Jakub Mensik, Novak Djokovic, and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Draper, who is scheduled to face Argentina`s Sebastian Baez in his first-round match on Tuesday, addressed the pressure and succeeding Murray.
“Obviously when Andy retired, they said I was the next in line. Andy has done an unbelievable job, been incredibly successful and become adored by the nation. It`s obviously big shoes to fill. I`m aware of that.”
“At the same time I`m confident in myself that hopefully I can inspire people like Andy has done. I`ll do my best to keep improving, to show my best tennis and hopefully present myself as the player and the person I want to be.”
Regarding guidance from Murray, Draper added:
“Andy has given me an amazing amount of feedback and advice over the years. I think one of the biggest things is everyone is on their different journey. He also said he doesn`t like to interfere.”
“I think he`s very reluctant to comment on anything to do with me because he understands what it`s like to be in this position, to have people asking me stuff all the time about things.”
“I know Andy`s right there for me if I need him anytime. There may come a point where I ask him a few things, and I`m sure he`ll come back and be extremely helpful and supportive, as always.”
When asked about the potentially difficult path through the draw to the final, Draper maintained his focus.
“I haven`t looked at that at all. I look at my first round, who I have. I respect every person in the draw. I`ve got Baez on Tuesday, and I`m not looking further than that. I know he`s a strong player. He`s here off his own merit. I look no further than him.”
