Jack Draper: Three-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist Feliciano Lopez amazed by improvement from British No 1 | Tennis News
The quarter of Wimbledon, quarter, Feliciano Lopez, said that the improvement of Jack Draper in the last 18 months is “really incredible” – calling him a “very complete player”.
Draper has been increasing since he reached the semi-finals of the US Open, sealing his title Maiden Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, although he missed a first title of ATP Tour Clay-Court while Casper Ruud has ahead of an absorption final of Madrid Open.
British No. 1 gave birth to the United Kingdom after its Disappointing fourth round defeat against Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan to the French Open – Before returning to the grass to the Queen’s Club last week when an episode of amygdalite paid his salary to his Hopes in the semi-finals against Jiri Lehecka.
Lopez, director of the tournament in Madrid, saw Draper’s potential in the first hand, but fears that the world 1 world of Jannik Sinner and the Roland-Garros champion, Carlos Alcaraz, shows no sign of slowdown, after sharing the last six titles of the Grand Slam between them.
Draper aims to join the two main players at the top of the male match, while Novak Djokovic is still pursuing a historic title of the 25th Grand Slam.
“I always see a little gap between Carlos, Jannik and the rest of the players. Jack and Novak are probably those who could beat them and the grass is the surface where Jack and Novak will have a greater chance,” said Spanish, who has reached a career in career No. 12.
“But the way they played recently, I don’t see any sign of weakness from Carlos or Jannik.
“I think Jack is a very complete player. I think that if he continues to develop his game, he would have a good luck against Carlos and Jannik on the grass.
“He must probably be a little more consistent week after week. When he is able to reach his best level, I think he has already proven that he can beat anyone. We have seen some of that in the Indian Wells when he won the title, also in Madrid, and in fact, he is one of the players I like to watch.
“The amount of improvement in the last 18 months is really incredible.
“I remember two years ago at the US Open, while he was preparing for his first round match. My concern was whether he was going to play because he was coming back from a shoulder injury and had retired from the Winston-Salem open the previous week, so I wondered if he was going to be able to compete in the best sets.
“Two years after that, he’s number four in the world. It is really incredible what he did and he is for me the player who will be ready to fight with Carlos and Novak for the headlines on the grass.”
Does Djokovic’s last chance to win a 25th Grand Slam?
“It is difficult to say if this is Novak’s last opportunity because with Novak, you must be aware of what you say about him,” laughed the Gaucher Lopez, who won the title of French double alongside Marc Lopez in 2016.
“He is not at Carlos and Jannik levels, especially in the last 18 months, because the figures speak for themselves, but the way he played against the sinner surprised me. He challenged the sinner and pushed him to the limit and, although the gap is still large, I see the grass as the only place for him to reach this level they play because the grass is very different.
“Djokovic has proven that he can always compete at this level, but he will have a better chance on the grass.”
Does Sinner have the game to play on the grass?
Lopez said: “I think yes, yes! His movement on the ground is out of this world. To play on the grass, you need a good movement and he is probably one of the best movers of the court at the moment.
“He has the movement, he has the service, he has one of the best feedback I saw, so yes! He has almost everything.”
Is it a surprise to see the sinner and Alcaraz dominate as much as they are?
“No, not at all,” said the quadruple winner of the Davis Cup. “They not only have tennis skills, technically and physically, they are probably the best in the world. But also their mentality and their ability to maintain this level for so long.
“We saw this in the final of the French Open when they played for five and a half hours at the highest possible intensity.
“There are players in the game at the moment that can play one or two sets, but Sinner and Alcaraz have the capacity to play this very high intensity for so long and I have not seen anyone else who can do it.”
Is Draper a competitor to win Wimbledon?
Sky Sports Commentator Jonathan Overend agrees with Lopez that Draper is part of an elite group of players who can potentially win Wimbledon, but says that he still has a long way to go to catch the sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic.
“Draper is in this group of contenders who can win Wimbledon. The best group has only two players – Sinner and Alcaraz – with the following group containing Djokovic, as well as Draper, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti,” said Overend.
“Draper is absolutely a competitor to win Wimbledon. He is definitely a competitor to make the final.
“That said, he will need a little luck because he should potentially beat Alcaraz and Sinner.
“It is intriguing and it is possible as I said at the beginning of the year that Draper could make the Wimbledon final and nothing has happened in the past six months to change your mind.”
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