Former world number one
Andy Murray has stated that he
does not intend to offer any advice to his fellow countryman,
Jack Draper, on
public forums ahead of the
Wimbledon 2025. The third Grand Slam of the year
will begin on June 30 in London.
With the contest being played on home soil, there is
understandably more focus on the local players, and this year, all eyes will be
on Draper, who will enter the competition as the fourth-seed player. In the
history of men's tennis in the Open era, only one player from Great Britain
managed to win the Wimbledon title, and that was Murray, who won the
competition on two occasions, in 2013 and 2016.
Murray, in an interview with the English media outlet
The Guardian, refused to advise Draper on a public forum ahead of a competition. Murray stated that giving advice publicly would be
counterproductive for Draper, and instead, he is looking to have a private
conversation with him and his coaching staff.
“I try to stay away from that,” said Murray. “Because I
just know from when I played Wimbledon the first few times that it was really
hard when you had ex-British No 1s, or people that you’ve watched on the TV and
looked up to, making public comments. And if I say, ‘this is what Jack should
do’, I’m pretty sure that when he goes to Wimbledon, he will be getting told,
‘Andy said that you should do this’. And sometimes that advice is contrary to
what your coach is telling you. But I would obviously speak to him and his
coach privately.”
Draper is going through an impressive season. This year, he has featured
in 36 matches, winning 28 of them. His best outing came while playing at the
Indian Wells, where Draper lifted the title after beating Denmark’s Holger Rune
in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2. Draper does not have an
excellent record while playing at Wimbledon. He has featured in the main draw
of the competition on three occasions but has never advanced past the second
round. Last year, his journey ended in the round of 64 as he lost to fellow
countryman Dan Evans, who came out on top in straight sets with a score of 7-6,
6-4, 7-6.