“The next obvious barrier is the top 10”: Tim Henman backs Jack Draper for Grand Slam breakthrough

Former British No. 1 Tim Henman has discussed Jack Draper’s chances of winning a Grand Slam in 2025 and challenging the dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The World No. 15 made significant progress in 2024 and hopes to go further in majors this year.

After injuries disrupted his consistency, the 22-year-old had an impressive season, winning titles at the Stuttgart Open and the ATP 500 Vienna Open. He also finished as runner-up at the Adelaide International and achieved his best Grand Slam result by reaching the US Open semifinals.

Draper’s Grand Slam potential backed by Henman

Draper climbed to a career-high year-end ranking of World No. 15. As a peer of Alcaraz (21) and Sinner (23), comparisons arise, especially after Draper’s strong season, which included four wins against top-10 players. Notably, he defeated Alcaraz at the Queen’s Club Championships, ending the Spaniard’s 13-match winning streak on grass.

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In a recent interview with Sky Sports, former World No. 4 Tim Henman commented on Draper’s prospects of securing a Grand Slam title in 2025: “Look, one step at a time. He’s 15 in the world. I think the next obvious barrier is the top 10,” Henman said.

“Those guys are ahead of everyone, having won all four majors last year – two each for Alcaraz and Sinner – but Jack wants to put himself in that equation. To do so, he has to play consistently in big tournaments, and when he gets opportunities against them, it will give us a better measure of where his game stands.”

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Draper’s last Grand Slam appearance was at the US Open, where he reached the semifinals. It marked only his second time advancing to the second week of a major and the first time surpassing the fourth round. He eventually lost in straight sets to the eventual champion, Jannik Sinner.

With the Australian Open as his next major challenge, Draper will aim to improve on his previous Melbourne results, where he exited in the first round in 2023 and the second round in 2024. Before the Australian Open, he is scheduled to play just one tournament: the United Cup, where he will team up with Katie Boulter to represent the United Kingdom.