Mats Wilander backs Jack Draper to make Wimbledon final, if British hope can ignore noise of ‘biggest enemy’ at home Grand Slam

Mats Wilander is confident Jack Draper has the game to make it to the Wimbledon final, but believes the Briton will struggle to lift the title with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic in the draw.

Draper has enjoyed a breakthrough 12 months, claiming his first ATP Tour titles and a maiden Masters 1000 victory at Indian Wells in March.

In doing so, the 23-year-old has vaulted up the rankings to a career-high of fourth, a position that means he will carry the hopes of a nation at the All England Club.

However, grass is unlike any other surface, and Draper’s Wimbledon record leaves plenty to be desired.

In three main-draw appearances, he has reached the second round twice, and while he has made huge strides to become one of the best players in the world, Wilander still has doubts over his ability to master the grass.

“He’s not as good a grass-court player compared to someone like Carlos Alcaraz because of the movement,” Wilander told TNT Sports.

“I think Jack Draper is an unbelievable mover for such a big guy. He’s a great athlete. I think his backhand works great on the grass court because it’s flat and it’s hit low.

“I think the forehand could work if he has time because he puts so much spin on the ball.

“And when the ball bounces a bit lower, if you’re able to put top spin on the ball, then obviously you can hit harder from the baseline, even though the bounce is low, because you can spin it over the net.

“Obviously, the serve is a huge weapon because it’s left-handed, but also because it’s a big serve, so he can come forward. So he really has a great game.

“I’m not sure about the movement until I see him out there, how his balance is going to be, because on other surfaces, you don’t really think about balance on a grass court.

“On a grass court, on a green grass court, you think about how does somebody literally put ice skates on their feet and still stay on their feet and be able to push off. And I don’t know that until I actually see how he moves this year.”

Draper’s Wimbledon preparation got off to a strong start with a run to the semi-finals at Queen’s Club, where he had the chance to set up a title showdown with Alcaraz in the recently-renamed Andy Murray Arena.

However, a three-set loss to Jiri Lehecka in the last four ended those hopes. While disappointing, there were some who wondered whether that could be a blessing in disguise to keep expectations in check for the big British hope.

“Well, I think the preparation for Jack Draper would have been even more perfect if he wins it, to be honest,” Wilander added.

“I think the confidence that you get from winning Queen’s, that has been shown over the years, and it was shown more dramatically than ever when Boris Becker in 1985 won Queen’s, and then he went on to win Wimbledon.

“He wasn’t thought of as someone to beat. As soon as he won Queen’s, everybody went, ‘Oh, my God, did you see this kid play?’ And I think with Alcaraz, it’s the same thing.

“So I think with Jack Draper, I think if he wins it, even better. I think Jack Draper is the guy that can handle the pressure. I think he wants it really, really badly.”

Given his quick, recent ascension through the ranks, the spotlight is going to be on Draper like never before at his home Grand Slam.

British fans are likely to be living his every up and down, especially if he makes a strong run through the men’s singles draw, while the media attention will follow a similar pattern.

In this day and age, it can be hard to avoid the buzz created by newspapers and the online world, but Wilander says that is what Draper must do at all costs if he is to have success.

“I think that for Jack Draper, the social media and newspapers are going to be the biggest enemy, I think, because there’s going to be a lot of stories, good ones, most probably mostly,” Wilander said.

“And people are going to start trying to dig things up about Jack Draper, Jack Draper this, and Jack Draper that. So I think that’s what you have to stay away from.

“You can have all the other stuff going on on the outside. But if you start reading papers and social media and there might be articles here and there, I think that’s really bad.

“I think for anyone, it puts you in a bad mood. But the pressure of going on to the court with the crowd behind you, I think that pressure he’s going to embrace and use to his advantage.”

Draper’s game is easy to get behind. The left-hander has a lightning serve and heavy groundstrokes from both wings.

It’s the kind of combination that can prove devastating. With a passionate home support behind him, you just never know what could happen in the coming fortnight.

Ahead of the French Open, Draper spoke of arriving at Grand Slams with the mentality that he could walk away with the trophy, so what would a good Wimbledon look like for him?

Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic are the three favourites ahead of the British player, meaning a run to the title will be difficult, but Wilander would not be surprised to see him reach the semis or even the final in south-west London.

“In my eyes, it’s all about the matches,” Wilander stressed. “How does he play the matches, the individual matches?

“Let’s say he wins two rounds and then he happens to play an unbelievable five-set match against somebody who’s ranked 25 in the world and he happens to lose, I think that’s enough in terms of presenting himself as someone that knows how to play on grass.

“I don’t think that I’m necessarily expecting him to reach the semi-finals. I think he has a chance. I think he has a chance to get to the finals.

“But I don’t know if he can win the title with Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in the draw.

“I mean, you could play all three of those guys, which is pretty unbelievable. But anyway, Jack Draper has a chance to do something good, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

“Either way, I think he’s going to play a great tournament and play great individual matches.”