Former British tennis star Andrew Castle believes that Jack Draper can upset Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon this summer. Alcaraz is the hottest ticket in tennis after his blockbuster win over world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the French Open final on Sunday, and the Spaniard will be hoping to make it three titles in a row at SW19 next month.
Draper was knocked out by Alexander Bublik in the fourth round at Roland-Garros but he made up another place in the ATP rankings, which leaves him a career-high No. 4. The 23-year-old has been in exceptional form this year, winning at Indian Wells and making it to the Madrid Open final.
And he will be desperate to go much further than his previous best efforts at Wimbledon, having never bettered the second-round runs he managed in 2022 and 2024. Castle thinks Draper has the momentum to not only break new ground, but to go all the way at the All England Club.
“He’s number four in the world, a career high,” the 61-year-old told BBC Radio 5 Live. “He won Indian Wells this year. He, like everyone else, is looking at this [French Open] final and thinking, ‘What time is my practice court today? I’ve got to start improving right now.’
“He’s had a great year. Jack can win Wimbledon this year. You can’t possibly get to four in the world and not consider yourself, in front of home fans, a possibility.
“Don’t forget he beat Alcaraz at Queen’s last year. Of course Carlos had been in Ibiza for four days partying like a wild animal, but so what? He’s beaten him and he’s capable of winning Wimbledon, for sure.”
Alcaraz and Sinner demonstrated the standard that other players must match up to in their enthralling Roland-Garros showdown on Sunday. Alcaraz battled back to snatch victory after losing the opening two sets, making him the man to beat when the great and the good of tennis land in south-west London.
Draper has enjoyed a remarkable few months but he is under no illusions about the gap between himself and the leading duo which needs to be bridged.
“I understand that if I want to be a top player, I can’t be normal, I have to be at the top of my game every day,” he told Sky Sports in May. “I’m very proud of where I’ve come over the last six months, but I’m really hungry, with all the experiences I’m having, to get right to the very top of the game.”
