Jack Draper's Tough Path to the Wimbledon Title
Seeded fourth at Wimbledon, Jack Draper is a highly credible underdog for the title in the English capital. A semifinalist at Queen’s last week, the Brit can expect strong support from his fans every time he steps onto the court.
Since Andy Murray’s retirement, the crowd has been eager to rally behind another homegrown talent, and Draper—23 years old and fresh off his first major title at Indian Wells in March—seems poised to take up the Scot’s mantle as the new favorite of British tennis fans.
Draper, in fact, will aim to emulate his idol and lift the Wimbledon trophy. The draw for the 2025 edition was made this Friday morning and hasn’t been particularly kind to the left-hander. In the first round, he’ll face Sebastian Baez, and could meet 2017 finalist Marin Cilic in the second round—a potentially tricky match.
That’s not all. If he hopes to reach the final, he’ll likely have to overcome Alexander Bublik, who defeated him in the Roland-Garros fourth round, in the third round, followed by Jakub Mensik in the round of 16—assuming the seeding holds until then.
Should he make it to the quarterfinals, he’d have a strong chance of facing Novak Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion who has contested the final in each of the last six editions.
If he pulls off an upset against the Serb and keeps his title hopes alive, he could then meet Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, with a potential final showdown against two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
A true gauntlet for Draper, who—it’s worth noting—has never advanced past the second round in the men’s singles at Wimbledon (reaching that stage in 2022 and 2024).
