Jack Draper has secured a top-four seeding position at Wimbledon, placing him among the tournament`s elite players.
England`s top tennis prospect earned this by defeating American Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals at Queen`s for the first time.
The player from Sutton is potentially on track to face Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday`s final at Queen`s. The Spanish star reached the final by defeating French lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 6-4, extending his remarkable winning streak to 16 matches.
However, Jack Draper, who will climb two spots to world No. 4 this week, is set to avoid facing Alcaraz and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon`s Centre Court until at least the semi-final stage.
Achieving a high seed also comes with certain privileges, such as access to the exclusive Gentlemen’s Members’ Dressing Room at Wimbledon, a perk reserved for top players.
Draper expressed his significant satisfaction with this achievement, calling it a “massive step.” He noted the substantial progress made since last year when he was ranked around 40 heading into the grass season. He credited his team, dedication, and daily hard work, stating, “I live and breathe the sport and I`m obsessed with progressing. I`m obsessed with becoming the player that I want to become all the time and achieve the things I want to.”
He also commented on the practical benefits of being a top seed, mentioning, “The top-16 seeds get… a better changing room… Nothing is different apart from the fact that maybe, potentially, I won’t see Alcaraz or Sinner in the quarters – if I make it there.” This makes him the highest British seed at Wimbledon since Andy Murray was the top seed in 2017 as the defending champion.
Meanwhile, Andy Murray is reportedly holding off on TV punditry work, partly to avoid making comments that could potentially bother current players like Jack Draper.
Now retired, Murray recalled his frustration during his playing days when former British tennis players with less successful careers would offer him advice. While punditry work for broadcasters like the BBC could be financially rewarding, the two-time Wimbledon champion is conscious of the potential for his public comments to clash with the views of current players like the 23-year-old Draper.
In an interview with GQ magazine, when asked about the need to remain in the public eye, Murray stated, “I`m not thinking daily that I need to tweet something or somehow remain relevant.” He expressed more interest in coaching because he feels he could “actually really be helping someone,” contrasting it with punditry, which “can be harmful.” He explained that working at Wimbledon would inevitably lead to questions about British players like Draper. “I know when the British ex–tennis players would talk about my tennis and what I should be doing… Because you respect them, you listen to what they’re saying – but it’s not always the same as what your coach is telling you,” he said. He added, “What the pundits are saying could be wrong. They’re not right all the time, and when you’re young, it’s quite conflicting.” Murray concluded that he`d be “more inclined to do coaching” because punditry seems like “quite an easy gig,” where you can “just throw stuff out there” without having “any skin in the game.”
In another quarter-final match played on a particularly hot day, Czech player Jiri Lehecka defeated British wild card Jacob Fearnley 7-5, 6-2. During the match, Lehecka, dressed in black, experienced some issues, including appearing to injure his arm while returning a fast serve and serving ten double faults, suggesting his service game was affected by nerves or anxiety.
Fearnley, 23, reflected on his defeat, commenting that Lehecka “was serving great” while his own serve was “terrible.” He added, “At this level you can’t give away that many free points.”
The BBC’s commentary team for Wimbledon is set to be announced on Monday.
