"It's very mentally taxing": Jack Draper explains exactly what people don't understand about Wimbledon

Jack Draper has been a promising figure for British tennis over the past couple of years. Currently ranked fourth in the ATP rankings, there is growing optimism that Britain could have another Wimbledon champion in the near future.

There is certainly pressure on Draper ahead of Wimbledon, but it is pressure he has earned through a campaign of consistently impressive performances. Speaking to the Wimbledon press ahead of his first-round match against Sebastián Báez on the 1st of July, Draper expressed how happy he is to be back, while also sharing his thoughts on the upcoming competition.

To start off his press conference, Draper stated that he is in a much better place now after struggling with tonsillitis during the Queen’s Club Championships:

“I feel good now. Queen’s was a tough week for me, playing through that. I tried to give it my all—I wasn’t able to find the tennis that I wanted on the court or feel physically that great, but to give myself a chance of making the final was, in reflection, a really good effort.”

Draper then spoke about how he’s feeling heading into this year’s Wimbledon, following a stellar season that has seen him rise to fourth in the ATP rankings:

“Yeah, I definitely feel like a very different player. I feel like, personally, I’ve grown a lot since last year. It’s a testament to the work I’ve done, the people I have around me, who have been with me through the ups and downs of my career so far. I think I have a lot more belief in myself physically. As a tennis player, mentally I feel very different in all areas… I’m just happy to come here one year later with all the progress I’ve made, and I’m very, very proud of that, yeah.”

The British number one also shared his thoughts on being the country’s top-ranked player at Wimbledon for the first time since Andy Murray retired after last year’s event:

“Obviously when Andy (Murray) retired, he said I was next in line for that. I know it’s Wimbledon coming up, but I didn’t really think about it then. I’ve improved so much and put myself in this position. It’s kind of the same thing—you know, I’ll keep trying my best to keep improving, to show my best tennis out there, to hopefully present myself as the player and the person that I want to be. Obviously, Andy’s done an unbelievable job of that, has been incredibly successful and has become adored by the nation. It’s obviously big shoes to fill—I’m aware of that—but at the same time, I’m confident in myself and hopefully I can inspire people like Andy has done, myself.”

Draper finally would suggest that the tennis calendar is incredibly tough and gruelling after discussing just how hard it is to see progress and results:

"People, when they think of tennis sometimes, they think it’s just Wimbledon or just the Grand Slams. We’re playing week in, week out, we’re training all the time you’re giving your all on a daily basis and even though I play a sport that I love and there’s so many amazing things that come with it, you know, it’s very mentally taxing".

"It’s important to just keep my feet on the ground and keep perspective of how I’m doing, because that’s the other thing, it’s tough to realise the progress that you’re making when you’re playing all the time".

British number one Draper will be hoping to break new ground at Wimbledon this year. Being placed on the same side of the draw as Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner means Draper could face a challenging path to the final, should all the favourites progress as expected. However, for now, Draper’s full attention will be on world number 38, Sebastián Báez, as he looks to begin his SW19 campaign with a convincing win over the Argentine.