Jack Draper Reveals How He’s Dealing with the Pressure of Following in Andy Murray’s Footsteps at Wimbledon

Jack Draper will be seeking to become the first British player to win Wimbledon since Andy Murray in 2016.

Jack Draper Reveals How He’s Dealing with the Pressure of Following in Andy Murray’s Footsteps at Wimbledon

Andy Murray and Jack Draper (via X/The Tennis Letter)

Jack Draper is set to kick off his 2025 Wimbledon campaign next week. The 23-year-old star is Britain’s hope of winning the title on home soil as he’s seeded fourth following a stellar start to the season. However, he is hoping that the pressure of being the local hero will not affect his focus at the tournament.

Draper has been one of the most outstanding players this season, winning his first Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells and reaching the finals in Qatar and Madrid. Also, the World No.4 has been quite impressive at the two Grand Slams played this season, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

He started his grass-court season brilliantly, reaching the semifinals of the Queen’s Club Championships before losing to Jiri Lehecka. The British star is now seeking more success at Wimbledon, where Andy Murray remains the only star from the nation to have won the title in 2013 and 2016 in the Open Era.

Surely all eyes will be on Draper at the tournament, where he’s regarded as a favorite just after Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Jannik Sinner. All three of the aforementioned players are Grand Slam champions, but Draper is yet to even reach a final at the biggest stage of the sport.

On Thursday (June 26), he continued his preparation for the grass-court major tournament in the Giorgio Armani Classic at the Hurlingham Club, an exhibition tournament. He defeated World No.8 Holger Rune, playing great tennis as he looks to be adapting to the conditions of the surface. After the match, he was asked by The Guardian how he was dealing with the pressure of following in the footsteps of Murray. He revealed:

I’m normal, I’m like anyone. If anyone asks you how you are going to deal with the pressure, you’re going to think: ‘I can’t control that.’ I focus on what I can control. I can’t control what people say, what noise people say, what hype there is, what criticism, all I can do is try my hardest and focus every day on what I’m going to do to prepare and play my best tennis to try to win the matches. So I’m really excited to go out there to compete.

Draper has never gone past the second round of the Wimbledon Championship. He has competed in the tournament three times in his career and last year he reached the second round but lost to fellow compatriot Cameron Norrie in straight sets. However, this season, he has broken all his previous records on tour and will be hoping to do so at the All England Club.

Jack Draper says it will be a privilege to get the support of the home crowd at Wimbledon

Jack Draper will get the backing of the home crowd when he steps onto the Center Court at the All England Club in Wimbledon. Bring the British No.1 he will be hoping to give the local fans something to cheer for as the competition goes on. During the aforementioned interview, he revealed that he had just recovered from a bout of tonsillitis.

Jack Draper Wimbledon 2025
Jack Draper (image via Wimbledon)

He then pointed out that it will be a privilege to get the support of the home crowd as his aim is to make Wimbledon his environment:

I think the home support that I’m going to have and people right behind me is going to be amazing. It’s going to be a privilege to play as the British No 1 and that’s what I’ve always wanted, I’ve wanted to make Centre Court of Wimbledon my environment, and I’m looking forward to hopefully starting that.

Draper has been handed a tough draw at Wimbledon. He will begin with Argentina Sebastian Baez in the first round before a potential meeting against former finalist Marin Cilic. But the trouble will be in the third round, where he’s expected to face Alexander Bublik, the man who knocked him out of the French Open and won the Terra Wortmann Open.

Also Read: Roger Federer’s Ex-Coach Shares What Jannik Sinner Must Do if He Faces Carlos Alcaraz in Wimbledon Final