"It says a lot about how good he can be if he stays injury-free” - Mouratoglou backs Draper to be next challenger to Alcaraz and Sinner barring one condition

Tennis fans have been debating and arguing on who is going to be the next challenger to the big two on the ATP Tour. While Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner run away with it, Patrick Mouratoglou believes that British number one Jack Draper is the one to catch them.

Injury has halted the 23-year-old's progress in recent months but that does not count out the quality he possesses when stepping out onto the court. In 2025 alone he won his maiden Masters 1000 title while making his debut in the top five in the world, sneaking up to number four in the grass season. However, injury halted his progress. Despite being on track to compete in the ATP Finals and challenge for more glory, he was forced to the sidelines from after the US Open.

While this was a huge disappointment for the British tennis fans, it is also a huge miss for the tennis scene who are desperate to see someone halt the dominance Alcaraz and Sinner have enjoyed. The duo have won the last eight Grand Slam titles between them, meeting in a number of finals. In 2025 alone they locked horns in three major finals, two Masters 1000 finals and the ATP Finals climax. Alcaraz would have the upper hand, ending the year leapfrogging his Italian rival as the pair sit with a ginormous gap between them and the world number three Alexander Zverev.

Reminiscing on the Big Three rivalry, fans are patiently waiting for a third player to join the pair in competing for major success. Every fan, pundit and expert have their players and theories backing this up. Mouratoglou is no exception, with him seeing a lot of potential in Draper.

"I’ve said it several years ago, I think if Jack is able to stay injury-free, he’s a top five [player] for sure. He’s potentially someone who can compete with Alcaraz and Sinner. He definitely has everything. I think he has the mind, which is the most important," he told ITV in an interview.

“He’s an incredible competitor, I think he’s very ambitious, and he’s smart. I really like him a lot, and I think he has a big game. He also had a lot of power. I mean, his main problem for the last years was too many injuries. And even though he’s played only six months of the year, he was in the top 10. So, I mean, it says a lot about how good he can be if he stays injury-free.”

Mouratoglou hammers in the point about the injuries. Draper has been a victim of injuries in the past and finally had a long spell on the court where he could rise up the rankings and develop as a tennis player. This progress was on show last year as he made his top 20 debut after a fantastic US Open semi-final. He continued his progress by clinching the biggest title of his career in the Indian Wells Open. He also showed his skill on clay, reaching the Madrid Open final before succumbing to defeat against Casper Ruud. His season started to derail when he felt some pain in his arm. He sat out of the North American hardcourt swing to focus on recovery, but it would prove in vain. After winning his opening match at Flushing Meadows, Draper withdrew from the event, ultimately cancelling his 2025 to focus on recovery over a bruised humerus. His return was bookmarked to be the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Grand Final, but he was forced to withdraw from the exhibition with it coming slightly too soon.

It will be interesting to see if he can return with a bang and compete with Alcaraz and Sinner. He has enjoyed success over his Spanish counterpart in the past. He has won two of their six meetings. The first was a huge surprise at Draper's home event in Queens in 2023 before getting the better of the six-time Grand Slam champion enroute to the Indian Wells title. The other two meetings in 2025 both went Alcaraz's way, with Draper retiring in the Australian before exiting in the Rome Open quarter-final. Draper's only win over Sinner came all the way back in 2021, also at Queens. Their last meeting was the 2024 US Open semi-final where the Italian was too strong.

The next big competition on the horizon is the Australian Open, lasting from January 18 - February 2. If Draper has serious ambitions of taking the title, there is a very good chance that he may need to dethrone one of these two. He will get good preparation for this possible scenario in his debut at the United Cup, representing Great Britain alongside Emma Raducanu. The event will commence from January 2-11 across Australia.