Jamie Murray has admitted that he’s really excited for what the future holds for Jack Draper, despite an underwhelming performance at Wimbledon.
The British number one headed to the All-England Club as his nation’s outstanding hope to challenge for the title, as the fourth seed in fine form.
And, as the draw opened up as more and more seeds fell, that opportunity for a deep run only widened.
That was, until he became a victim of this inexplicable phenomenon, losing in the second round to veteran Marin Cilic.
In the end, it was Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie who enjoyed the best runs, leaving Jack Draper in the dust as a huge chance went begging.
And yet, Murray remained optimistic.
Jamie Murray predicts what the future holds for Jack Draper
In fact, when speaking to The Mirror, he acknowledged this Wimbledon underperformance, but caveated it with a bright future for the 23-year-old.
He noted: “Jack had a disappointing Wimbledon for him, but it was a tough draw in Cilic when the guy has won Grand Slams, been in finals, loves playing on grass and is a former Queens winner, that’s a tough match for him.
“I’m sure he’ll come back stronger next year and in the future years and he’ll be at the top of the game for 10 years – he’ll be one of the guys in that chasing pack trying to get to the level of [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz and compete with them on the biggest stage. I’m excited for Jack and what’s to come for him. I don’t think this Wimbledon is going to define how his future career goes in any shape or form.”
This comes after Jamie Murray offered advice for Emma Raducanu, after highlighting the gulf between her and Draper.
Jack Draper will be eyeing one step further at the US Open
Draper will know that, by the lofty standards he set in the lead-up to Wimbledon, his performance wasn’t good enough.
Reaching just the second round matched his best-ever run, but one that he achieved as a relative unknown with few expectations.
This year was supposed to be different, having already proven himself capable of competing with the very best on tour.
And, with a Masters 1000 title under his belt, his ability to deal with high-pressure situations at the elite events was there too.
Alas, it was not meant to be, and for whatever reason, Draper struggled.
But with semi-final ranking points to defend at the US Open, he will be hoping to take last year’s success and take it a step further by reaching the final or even winning the whole thing.
