Jack Draper is one of tennis’ most unfortunate figures, having seen his incredibly promising career routinely thwarted by injuries.
Fortunately, at 24 years old, there is still so much time for him to get back on track, but it seems so cruelly unfair that he is being held back through no fault of his own.
For many, the Englishman is seen as the most likely player capable of unsettling Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s dominance over the ATP Tour. However, he can’t make any impact when injured.
Fortunately, with Andy Murray now coaching Draper, he will be guided by an intelligent pair of hands who knows all about managing injuries and pressure.
Speaking with The Times, Jack Draper actually discussed how he is feeling ahead of Wimbledon, where, for a British player, the pressure of expectation is arguably at its greatest.
Jack Draper explains how he will deal with the pressure at Wimbledon
Speaking about how this year will differ from the last, Draper insists that he will head to the All England Club unburdened.
This is in stark contrast to last year, where expectation had arguably never been higher.
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He argued: “I think it’s a weird dynamic for any top-level athlete. You can’t live with [the pressure] and you can’t live without it.
“I suppose the interesting experience last year was that every single question was about it. But I’ll be very truthful. Last year I was in a great position and now I’m not.
“People will judge Andy coming in based on my result at Wimbledon, but I don’t know if I’ll do amazingly. I want to do well this year, but my goal is to win Wimbledon next year — so when I get that question, I’ll say, ‘Well, I guess I’m like the fourth [best] British player now.”
Jack Draper admits he was angry seeing Carlos Alcaraz win Wimbledon
Later on in that same interview, Draper then discussed Alcaraz’s maiden Wimbledon title.
There, the Spaniard overcame Novak Djokovic on Centre Court in a dramatic five-set battle, and in doing so claimed just his second Grand Slam title.
However, whilst he was achieving greatness at such a young age, Draper was out injured, this time nursing a shoulder injury.
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He has since admitted: “I was watching my ranking drop outside the top 100 and Carlos won. I was obviously happy for him because he’s a great guy, but I was so angry.
“I was thinking, ‘What am I doing here? Get out of your head. There’s an opportunity waiting for you’. It really put the fire in my belly to kick on.”
