Andy Murray Delivers Verdict On Jack Draper’s Grand Slam-Winning Potential: ‘He’s Doing Extremely Well’ q3e4n

Andy Murray has backed British No. 1 Jack Draper to ‘give himself opportunities to win majors’ in the future after falling to a fourth round defeat at the French Open.

Jack Draper fell to an agonising fourth round defeat against Alexander Bublik at the French Open last week.

The young Brit overcame Mattia Bellucci, Gael Monfils and Joao Fonseca in the earlier rounds, and despite heading into the last 16 as the clear favourite, he was beaten 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 by the Kazakhstani.

Although the defeat came as a major disappointment, Draper’s overall performance in saw him rise into the top five of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career, up into fourth place.

He now sits above the likes of Novak Djokovic, Lorenzo Musetti, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the rankings, while only Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are above him.

“It hurts a lot, but I just move on,” Draper said in the aftermath of his loss to Bublik at Roland-Garros.

“I’m hurt, and for sure I’m really disappointed. I had an opportunity today, and I missed my opportunity, for sure.”

Thanks to his fourth round exit, Draper picked up a total of €265,000 in French Open prize money.

In spite of his loss in Paris, the youngster clearly has a bright future in tennis. Former British No. 1 Andy Murray believes so too, as he thinks the London native is “going to give himself opportunities to win majors” in the future.

Andy Murray: ‘Jack Draper Is Doing Extremely Well’ 6a3d3a

Speaking to BBC Sport, Murray said: “Moving forward, men’s tennis is in a great place.

“People always worry at the end of a generation of players what’s going to happen with the sport next, but generally sports continue to evolve and, in most cases, improve.

“Jack [Draper]’s right in the mix just now and doing extremely well. He’s going to give himself opportunities to win majors over the next five, 10 years.”

Murray’s comments come less than two weeks after former world No. 1 John McEnroe backed Draper to win several majors in the future, stating that “he’s getting awfully close” to challenging Alcaraz and co. for a Grand Slam.

WATCH: Jack Draper Beaten By Alexander Bublik At French Open 6a3u71

What Next For Jack Draper? 4r5w3r

Draper, who won his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells in March, now turns his attention to the grass-court season.

He’s due to return to action at Queen’s Club, which takes place from 16 to 22 June. After that, he makes his debut at this year’s Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic between 24 and 28 June, alongside a star-studded lineup at The Hurlingham Club.

Following those events, Draper heads to Wimbledon for the next major in the calendar. The tournament takes place between 30 June and 15 July, and the youngster will be aiming to advance beyond the second round for the first time.

Beyond that, the US Open awaits in late August, into early September. At the 2024 edition of the event, Draper reached his first-ever Grand Slam semi-final before losing out to eventual champion Sinner.