admin
Can Jack Draper be a surprise package at Wimbledon after the Brit made a positive comeback at the Lexus Eastbourne Open last week?
The 23-year-old made his return to competitive action on the south coast in his first ATP Tour event since April in Barcelona, where Draper was forced to retire with injury in the third set of his round of 32 tie against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Stepping onto the grass at Devonshire Park for valuable minutes ahead of Wimbledon in the coming weeks, it didn’t take long for the former world number four to get up to speed, progressing to the semi-final without dropping a single set in his three games.
Coming up against sixth seed and Frenchman Ugo Humbert, who was celebrating his 28th birthday on the day of the semi-final contest, Draper’s run came to an end with the world number 30 booking his spot in the final in two sets – but there were plenty of positives for the Brit to take away from a strong run on the grass courts.
The ATP Tour 250 event was her biggest run at a competitive tournament since the HSBC Championships last year, with 12 months hampered by injuries.
Missing the last three Grand Slams – the US Open in 2025 followed by the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2026 – Draper is set to return on the biggest stage next week, but has arguably been handed one of the toughest opening round draws at All England Club.
In the main draw for the men’s singles, which took place on Friday morning, the British player was drawn against American and eighth seed Taylor Fritz in a blockbuster first round.
Fritz reached the semi-finals of the Championship before losing to Carlos Alcaraz to deny him a spot in just his second Grand Slam final – a US Open finalist in 2024, where he lost in straight sets to Jannik Sinner.
Taylor Fritz’s recent run of form
After a disappointing first-round defeat at Roland Garros, losing in four sets to fellow American Nishesh Basavareddy, Fritz has certainly regained form on the grass courts in the last month ahead of Wimbledon.
Starting in Stuttgart, the American number two reached the final for a second year in a row, previously beating Alexander Zverev in 2025 and won the tournament without dropping a single set, but he wasn’t able to retain his title this time around.
Embed from Getty ImagesFacing American number one Ben Shelton, he was defeated in three sets, with Shelton claiming the trophy for the ATP Tour 250 event.
However, Fritz looked to build on the positive momentum in Stuttgart by competing in the Terra Wortmann Open the following week and once again, he progressed to the showpiece event in Germany.
Notably beating recent Roland Garros champion Zverev in the semi-finals, he suffered a successive defeat in a final, this time by another American, Frances Tiafoe, in straight sets.
Although the 28-year-old was unable to pick up any silverware during the grass-court swing despite reaching two finals, Fritz will arguably be one of the underdogs for the title at SW19, especially with world number two Alcaraz out of contention due to injury.
A new-look coaching team for Draper
Unless you have been living under a rock in the last few weeks, many of you might know that Draper has got a familiar face in his coaching team.
Three-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one Sir Andy Murray has been coaching and providing experience for the Brit in the last month, and was seen many times encouraging Draper from his coaching box at Eastbourne.
Despite only being with the young Brit for a few weeks, the Scotsman was full of praise for Draper so far, and even admitted he was surprised by his level.
Speaking ahead of Draper’s appearance at Eastbourne, he claimed: “In the sessions I’ve done with him, I’ve been more impressed probably than what I expected.
Embed from Getty Images“And I thought he was bloody good before I started helping him. He’s a quick learner. He’s got very few holes in his game. He’s a more complete player than probably what I expected as well.”
Unsurprisingly Murray’s return to coaching – having previously been by Novak Djokovic’s side for six months from November, 2024 – has caught the eye of the tennis world and media, however, there’s another key addition to Draper’s team.
That is James Trotman, who oversaw the strongest run of Draper’s career thus far.
Under his guidance, Draper reached a US Open semi-final, a career-high ranking of fourth, and winning a Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells but, departing shortly after the latter’s triumph, things have gone slightly downhill for the British player.
While we don’t know how long Trotman will stick around for his second stint, he could be pivotal for a deep run at Wimbledon for the currently ranked 131 in the world.
What can we expect from Draper at Wimbledon?
Draper came through unscathed during four matches at Eastbourne, maybe just feeling fatigue in his semi-final clash with Humbert.
Having a familiar face during his best stint as a professional, plus the addition of a proven winner on the biggest stage, there’s no doubt of excitement from the home crowd for a strong run at Wimbledon.
But it is still early days in Draper’s comeback to action and he has yet to play a five-set match in nearly 12 months, so fitness will be a key battle if he is to progress deep in the Grand Slam.
He will still need to overcome a full-firing Fritz, who has clearly regained confidence in recent weeks, in the first round, but the backing of a packed-out Brit crowd could be the difference.
