"It was unbelievable": Jack Draper relives stunning win over Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s Club

Jack Draper reminisced about his remarkable grass-court swing, where he defeated 2-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz. The British No. 1 claimed the biggest win of his career against the then-world No. 2, who had been riding a 13-match winning streak on grass.

In his brief career, Alcaraz seems destined to leave his mark as one of the best grass-court players. He boasts a 24-3 record (89%) on grass, with two Wimbledon titles and a 2023 Queen’s Club Championships victory. The Spaniard has won 20 of his last 21 grass-court matches over the past two seasons, with his only loss coming in the Queen’s Club Championships Round of 16 this year, courtesy of Draper.

The 22-year-old Brit had an outstanding comeback season after struggling with persistent injuries in 2023. Draper secured his first two ATP titles at the Stuttgart Open against Matteo Berrettini and the Vienna Open against Karen Khachanov. He also reached the US Open semifinals and ended the year ranked a career-high No. 15.

Draper appears to be one of the players who could challenge Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominance on the Tour. Following an impressive 2024, he seems poised to take another step forward. Recently confirmed to participate in the 2025 Queen’s Club Championships, Draper granted an interview to the LTA where he reflected on his significant victory over Alcaraz at the tournament.

“I think it was like just a really busy 10 days, obviously coming off my first title, and then sort of catching the flight with all the emotions of winning there, and the next day was straight into training, and then the match the next day,” Draper said. “And then obviously playing Carlos, there was a bit of attention on that match. I played him twice before, once was really close, and the other time I was a bit injured, so I wasn’t able to really see.”

“But obviously he’s a young guy, he’s an amazing talent, so good for the sport. To go up against him at Queen’s, home crowd, home environment, was unbelievable. It was obviously his first tournament on grass after winning the French [Open], so you’ve got to keep that in mind that it is a grass court as well,” the world No. 15 added. “But it was an amazing experience, and I thought I played a good match, and yeah, obviously he went on to win Wimbledon, so fair play to him,” he added.

Draper is set to begin his season at the upcoming United Cup, starting December 27, where he will team up with Katie Boulter in the mixed-team competition. They will face Argentina (Tomás Martín Etcheverry and Nadia Podoroska) and Australia (Alex de Minaur and Olivia Gadecki).