Jack Draper begins his French Open campaign against Matt Bellucci and Chris Evert thinks his 'disciplined' mindset can bring success at Roland-Garros
Published 27/05/2025 at 10:44 GMT+1
Jack Draper will begin his French Open campaign against Mattia Bellucci at Roland-Garros as he looks to build upon an impressive start to his clay-court season. Sonay Kartal faces Erika Andreeva in Paris as she fights to become British No.1. TNT Sports experts Chris Evert and Anne Keothavong have previewed the action and think the pair will continue to excel.
Highlights: Draper continues fine form on clay to set up Alcaraz quarter-final in Rome
Video credit: SNTV
18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert has praised Jack Draper’s "adult" mentality, as his rise in the men’s game continues.
The British No.1 hopes to build upon a strong start to the clay-court season when he takes on Italy’s Mattia Bellucci in the first round of the French Open.
You can watch the action from Roland-Garros live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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Draper’s preparations for the second major of the year saw him reach the final of the Madrid Open, where he lost in three sets to Casper Ruud, and the quarter-finals of the Italian Open, where he came unstuck against Carlos Alcaraz.
TNT Sports pundit Evert thinks Draper, 23, is showing promising signs of being able to consistently compete at the top end of the game.
"I’m surprised that he’s playing this well on the clay," she said.
"He hasn’t been known to be a clay-court player, he hasn’t been known to be consistent like an adult.
"He seems to have a more professional approach to the game. He seems to be more disciplined.
"He’s awfully fit. He looks fitter than I’ve seen before. That is really translating into his tennis as far as his movement and his agility and even his power," Evert said.
Draper has been working with Andy Murray’s former strength and conditioning coach Matt Little and Evert can see that he is reaping the benefits of Little’s knowledge and experience.
"When you’re really fit and you’re in the gym and you’re lifting weights and you just feel so good about yourself physically, it translates to the mental side of the game.
"He is becoming stronger mentally, emotionally and physically as a tennis player, and it’s really great to see this jump that he’s made.
"We’ve seen the big serve, we’ve seen the big forehand but, again, it’s the attitude. He’s number five in the world and he seems to have that belief right now that he belongs at the top," she said.
Kartal in 'three-way challenge' for British No.1
Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong is excited by the progress Sonay Kartal has made over the last year and is backing her to challenge to be ranked as Britain’s top female player.
"When she’s on the court, she’s quite robotic. She doesn’t give much away. Whether she’s up or down, her face just remains the same," Keothavong said of Kartal’s approach to the game.
"Like Jacob Fearnley, she’s had an impressive rise up the rankings over the last year. The way she’s adapted to new environments has been equally impressive."
She begins her French Open campaign against Erika Andreeva and is looking for a run at Roland-Garros to push her further forward in her career.
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Kartal broke into the world’s top 60 for the first time earlier this year thanks to reaching the last-16 at Indian Wells and winning on her Billie Jean King Cup debut when she represented Great Britain against the Netherlands.
"It’s a three-way challenge for the British No.1 here between her [Kartal], Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu," Keothavong said.
"Which, for me, as captain of the Billie Jean King Cup team, makes it really exciting because there’s real competition for places.
"She’s an absolute delight. What people don’t know about Sonay, in the past year, she’s had to manage a serious health condition which hasn’t been easy but she’s gone out there, she doesn’t cause a fuss, she doesn’t like the drama."
Stream the 2025 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+.
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