"I have much more confidence in myself," says Draper ahead of his Wimbledon debut
Ranked fourth in the world this week, Jack Draper is a credible outsider for the Wimbledon title. Although he still lacks significant grass-court credentials, the Brit achieved the best performance of his career at Queen’s, reaching the semifinals for the first time.
After a hard-fought battle, he ultimately fell in a thrilling match against Jiri Lehecka (6-4, 4-6, 7-5). Now, the 23-year-old turns his attention to Wimbledon, a tournament where he has never advanced past the second round.
The left-hander, who won the Indian Wells Masters in March, has also landed a tricky draw. He will face Sebastian Baez in his opening match at the London Grand Slam.
If the draw plays out as expected, he could face Marin Cilic, Alexander Bublik, Jakub Mensik, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz in succession to claim the title—a far-from-easy path. During a pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday, Draper reflected on his progress over the past year.
"I really feel like a completely different player. Personally, I think I’ve grown a lot since last year, which shows the work I’ve put in, but also the efforts of the people around me who’ve supported me through the ups and downs of my career so far.
"I have much more confidence in myself physically, but also mentally as a player. I feel different in every way. Still, I believe I can improve a lot more. I’m far from reaching the level I want to achieve. I’m always trying to get better.
"I really try to disconnect. I go home, watch Netflix, try to sleep and recover as best I can. When I’m here or training, I’m completely focused on what I want to do.
"But when I step away from the court, I try to detach from everything to recharge as much as possible so I can perform again the next day—because that’s what tennis is.
"It’s a recovery sport. We have to be able to bring our best every single day. So it’s important to disconnect whenever possible," he told *Punto De Break*.
