Jack Draper inspired by challenge of 'chasing down' Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as he plays Queen's ahead of Wimbledon
Updated 16/06/2025 at 16:56 GMT+1
British men's No. 1 Jack Draper will get his grass swing started this week as he plays at Queen's. The 23-year-old is coming off a strong clay season and is hoping to continue making steps forward to "chase down" Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Draper says Sinner and Alcaraz are "changing the game" following their epic five-set match in the French Open final.
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Video credit: SNTV
Jack Draper says he is inspired by the challenge of "chasing" Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz ahead of starting his grass-court season at Queen’s.
Draper, 23, has made huge strides this year by winning his first Masters title in Miami and reaching his first clay final in Madrid.
He also soared up to No. 4 in the ATP world rankings in June, before falling to No. 6 after being knocked out of Roland-Garros in the fourth round.
But despite his success, there still looks a way to go before Draper is in the same echelon as Sinner and Alcaraz, the two top-ranked players having served up a match for the ages in the French Open final a week ago.
"I think it inspired all the players," said Draper about the final, which Alcaraz won in five sets.
"And I think it captured the attention of all the spectators, all the people around the world, even people who aren’t into tennis. It was one of those sporting moments I think everyone was embraced by, so I think Jannik and Carlos did an unbelievable show there.
"Those two guys are really setting the way and I’m looking forward to chasing them down.
"I don’t know what I’m capable of yet, but I aspire to be at that level. What those guys are doing is setting the way and it’s changing the game. Players like myself are going to be working very hard to get to that point, that's for sure."
Four years ago, Draper earned his first ATP Tour win at Queen’s, beating Sinner in the opening round.
Now he is the second seed at the tournament behind Alcaraz, who is fresh off a short break in Ibiza following his French Open win.
"I’m very proud to be here, to be the No. 2 seed," said Draper.
"I’ve come a long way since I played Jannik here in 2021 and I’m really proud of the position I’m in and how my tennis is improving.
"I think there’s no secret I’d love to do amazingly well this week, but Wimbledon would be a priority for me. I think it’s always an interesting one, that first match or tournament on the grass. There’s a lot of players who maybe aren’t amazingly prepared.
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"We’ve just come from a surface where we’re grinding out points, having to win the point seven times on the trot to get one point. So, coming onto a fast surface, the margins are small, but I’m feeling good and I’m ready to compete as hard as possible.
"It’s a home tournament for me as well, so that’s an added motivation for me to do well here as well."
Draper faces Jenson Brooksby in his opening match at Queen’s.
It will be his first contest since a surprise defeat to Alexander Bublik in the last 16 of the French Open.
"I look back on my clay-court season as a whole and as someone who hasn’t done that well on the clay, I thought I embraced the surface very well and I improved a lot on it," said Draper.
"I got home, had a couple of days off, then got on the grass. I was happy to get on a faster surface to be honest. In tennis you have to have a short-term memory. You have to understand why you lost certain matches.
"I take it in my stride and obviously feel good coming into these next few tournaments."
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