Jack Draper will be spearheading British hopes in Paris across the next few weeks, as the French Open finally gets underway.
The second Grand Slam of the tennis season, it represents a huge opportunity for a stark jump up the rankings should an unlikely face enjoy a strong run.
However, the current world number five finds himself in a unique spot ahead of Roland Garros, given he has actually never made it past the first round at this event.
Given how meteoric his rise has already been, the chance to gain another huge boost to his ranking is one he cannot miss ahead of Wimbledon in the coming months.
Should he maintain this current trajectory, Jack Draper will well and truly be following in the footsteps of Andy Murray, and on track to maybe even snag a Grand Slam sooner rather than later.
Jack Draper on the advice he plans to ask Andy Murray for
Speaking to The Telegraph, Draper was asked about how he has fared since skyrocketing up the rankings and thus garnering far more attention.
And whilst he does claim to be relishing it, the 23-year-old has also said he’ll look to Murray for advice in that regard. He noted: ‘There’s a bit more noise around everything for me. I’ve always been aware that if I want to be a top player, what comes with that is more attention, good and bad. I’m ready for that. I’m adapting my life. Because I do believe that I can go right to the top.
‘I’ve got my whole circle prepared for that and I feel prepared for that as well, because I’ve gone through lots of adversity and ups and downs. At the same time, like Andy always said, I’m gonna have a lot of love from people. I’m gonna have a lot of the crowds behind me at Queen’s and Wimbledon, and that helps massively.
‘’I’ll definitely pick Andy’s brains here and there. I think it’s a difficult one, because everyone has different things that work for them. So Andy might say something to me, and I’ll be like, ‘That’s not gonna make me feel my best.’
‘I’m yet to speak to Andy around that stuff, but I definitely will, and I know he’s always there if I need him.’
Although he will face stern competition from players far more comfortable on clay than himself, the big-serving lefty should feel confident that a strong run could be in the offing despite Draper’s Roland Garros draw pitting him on the half with Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.
After all, his clay-court season has been the best of his career by some distance, challenging Carlos Alcaraz at Rome just after he made the final in Madrid.
| French Open 2025 | Draper’s Potential Opponent |
| First Round | Mattia Bellucci |
| Second Round | Gael Monfils/Hugo Dellien |
| Third Round | Hubert Hurkacz (30)/Joao Fonseca/Benjamin Bonzi |
| Fourth Round | Alex de Minaur (9)/Jakub Mensik (19)/Alexandre Muller |
| Quarter-final | Jannik Sinner (1)/Arthur Fils (14)/Andrey Rublev (17)/Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (26) |
| Semi-final | Alexander Zverev (3)/Novak Djokovic (6)/Daniil Medvedev (11)/Grigor Dimitrov (16) |
| Final | Carlos Alcaraz (2)/Taylor Fritz (4)/Casper Ruud (7)/Lorenzo Musetti (8) |
If he were to overcome his tougher half of the draw and make it to the final, he would be following in the footsteps of Murray, who made the French Open final in 2016.
The Scotsman was consistently thwarted by the Big Three throughout his illustrious career, and this competition was no different. He reached the semi-finals a further four times, but could never get over the line and lift the title.
Draper faces far less stiff competition compared to Murray’s era, and could go the distance in Paris before his favoured surface returns to the forefront.
