"He's absolutely going to": John McEnroe warns Jack Draper ahead of French Open third-round clash

Former world number one John McEnroe has warned Britain’s Jack Draper of his next round opponent at the French Open. The second Grand Slam of the year is moving towards the business end, where the remaining players are giving their all to secure the ultimate prize.

The 23-year-old, who is already regarded as one of the most talented players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, cemented his spot in the round of 32 at the Roland Garros 2025 by beating French veteran player Gael Monfils.

The final score of the match was 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. That win sets up a mouthwatering third-round clash between Draper and Brazil’s Joao Fonseca. The 18-year-old, who is already regarded as the one for the future, cemented his spot in the round of 32 after beating France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Former world number one McEnroe spoke to TNT Sports, where he warned Draper of his next round opponent. The seven-time Grand Slam winner also suggested the 2024 US Open semifinal to be ready to face a hostile crowd, that too while playing in a smaller court compared to the one where he featured on Thursday night during his win against Monfils.

"He's absolutely going to bring the flare, he's also going to bring a lot of fans with him so it'll be interesting to see where they put that match,” said McEnroe. "It might be a little bit annoying for Jack to have the crowd against him again but I think that's what's going to happen, especially if it's on a rather small court, so he's going to have to rebound quickly. I doubt that will be a night match, but it certainly could be because that's box office for us. You're going to see a lot of those two in the next 10 years."