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."