All eyes were on Andy Murray in the lead-up to Wimbledon in 2013. The pressure was on to see if he could finally end the 77-year British men’s title drought at the famed major. Murray became a national hero when he hoisted the winning trophy that year.
Murray went on to win Wimbledon again in 2016, solidifying his legacy at the All England Club. After his retirement last summer, Wimbledon announced it would build a statue of Murray on the grounds to honor the beloved figure.
With Murray retired, there are some pretty big shoes to fill in the British tennis world. Jack Draper, world No. 4 and fellow Brit, is ready for the challenge.
Many tennis fans are hopeful Draper can capture the Wimbledon title this year and make a historic run like Murray did over a decade ago. However, there are some accomplishments Draper has yet to achieve in his young career, like advancing to a major final. The furthest he’s gone in a major is the semifinals at last year’s U.S. Open—putting his name on the international map. The 23-year-old has never made it past the second round at Wimbledon.
Part of his struggles at the All England Club may have to do with the fact that Draper admits that grass isn’t his best surface. Despite being British, which many fans assume makes someone automatically good on grass, he has admitted he’s rather inexperienced on the surface. However, in 2024, Draper won his first ATP title at Stuttgart, which is played on grass, and beat reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz on the surface at Queen’s Club last year. In the lead-up to this year’s Wimbledon, Draper advanced to the semifinals at Queen’s Club before falling to world No. 22 Jiří Lehečka.
Draper’s first-round match at Wimbledon will be played against No. 38 Sebastián Báez on Tuesday. They’ve faced each other twice, with Draper winning both times. Should he emerge victorious against Báez again, Draper could face a sturdy draw.
In the second round, Draper could face 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Čilić in what would be their first meeting. Should he advance to the third round, things could get tricky, with Draper potentially going up against Alexander Bublik, who he just lost to in the Round of 16 at the French Open. From there, Draper could see Jakub Menšík in the Round of 16. Menšík won their only meeting in Miami this spring.
Draper’s path, should he play deep into Wimbledon, could very likely intersect with Novak Djokovic, the 24-time major champion looking to capture his elusive 25th major. The only time these two have played against each other was at Wimbledon in 2021—which was Draper’s first appearance at the major—with Djokovic knocking him out in the first round. Djokovic was one of Murray’s biggest rivals during his career, until Murray joined his team for a stint, becoming his coach at this year’s Australian Open. Murray even beat Djokovic to win his 2013 Wimbledon title. Draper could follow in Murray's footsteps and send Djokovic packing this year.
Should Draper get through Djokovic, Jannik Sinner—and an opportunity for revenge—awaits. The world No. 1 eliminated Draper from the 2024 U.S. Open in the semifinals, which is Draper’s best major finish. Then, of course, Draper could play the heavy favorite Alcaraz in the final. Alcaraz won the last two Wimbledon titles and is coming off his second French Open victory. It’s a tall task for an inexperienced Draper, but the Brit has beaten the Spaniard twice in their six meetings.
While it may seem like an improbable path for Draper in London this year, don’t forget about home-court advantage. The Brits will be backing Draper heavily, making every match he plays at Wimbledon a must-watch.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jack Draper Looks to Follow in Andy Murray’s Footsteps at Wimbledon.
