"We push ourselves to the limit all the time": Carlos Alcaraz on his thrilling rivalry with Jack Draper
ATP
Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper have both enjoyed stellar seasons in 2025, heading into Wimbledon with genuine title aspirations.
Draper, the British star, marked a career milestone in March by claiming his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, while Alcaraz dominated the clay-court season, capturing three of the four tournaments he entered, including defending his Roland Garros crown.
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With the grass-court season now underway, both Alcaraz and Draper are preparing for Wimbledon at the Queen’s Club Championships, where they are the top two seeds and could meet in Sunday’s final.
Speaking ahead of his first-round match against Australia's Adam Walton, Alcaraz opened up about the dynamic he shares with Draper on the ATP Tour.
In a BBC Sport interview Alcaraz said, "Jack [Draper] has really high potential. I love him, I love watching him play... I’m really happy to have that rivalry with him. I think every match we’ve played against each other, we raise our level to the top and we push ourselves to the limit all the time.".
He added: "I think that’s beautiful for us, for the people, the fans. I’m really happy to have him around; he makes me an even better player.".
The pair have met six times on the ATP Tour, with three of those encounters occurring in just the last six months. Alcaraz currently leads their head-to-head 4-2, but Draper’s straight-sets victory over Alcaraz at last year’s Queen’s Club Championships remains a memorable highlight for the British star.
As Wimbledon looms, both players will be eager for a better showing than last year at Queen’s: especially if they meet again in the final. However, neither player will have an easy path to the title, as several top-ten players will also be competing.
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Alcaraz began his Queen’s campaign with a solid 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win over Australia's Adam Walton. He will then face Jordan Thompson in the second round. Alcaraz is likely to encounter a tough test in the quarterfinals against American Ben Shelton, who pushed him close at the French Open and has already impressed on grass this season.
If successful, Alcaraz could then face Denmark’s Holger Rune in the semifinals. Rune defeated Alcaraz earlier this year in the Barcelona Open final, and the Spaniard will be eager for revenge.
In the first round of the 2025 Queen’s Club Championships, Draper made a strong start to his grass-court season by defeating American Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 6-1.
Neither Alcaraz nor Draper are getting ahead of themselves, but with both players pushing each other "to the limit all the time," tennis fans can expect thrilling and high-stakes encounters throughout the grass-court season.
Sean Killen is a contributing journalist for both DartsNews.com and Tennisuptodate.com, where he balances his university studies with writing news updates, player features, and match reports across both sports.
Before joining the sites, Sean built experience across student and professional media. He serves as TV News Director for Cardiff University TV (CUTV), has reported for Gair Rhydd and The Cardiff Times, and produced viral news coverage that gained international attention. His reporting spans sports, breaking news, and human-interest features, and he’s worked across platforms including print, online, radio, and video.
Sean has followed the ATP and WTA tennis tours closely for years, with a growing interest in darts through the Premier League and World Championship circuits. He brings a sharp eye for storytelling, a commitment to accuracy, and a passion for making niche sports accessible to wider audiences.
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