Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz are set to battle it out in the pick of the men’s singles first-round matches at Wimbledon.
The Brit is looking forward to the battle but knows that he must play at his very best if he wants to pull off the upset against Fritz at the All England Club.
Jack Draper Previews Blockbuster Wimbledon Clash Against Taylor Fritz
Draper has dropped down the ATP rankings following a prolonged battle with injuries. He goes into Wimbledon as an unseeded player as a result and will face the sixth-seeded Fritz in the opening round of the tournament.
Fritz is a strong player on grass, with five titles on the surface. The American also reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last year, and Draper is expecting a tough battle when the two meet on Tuesday.
“It’s obviously incredibly difficult. I knew coming into this tournament, not being a seed, you can get anyone. Taylor’s an amazing competitor. We’ve played 5 or 6 times. Every time, it’s been a real battle. It’s been about who can play better in the key moments,” Draper said during his pre-tournament press conference.
Draper can take some confidence from his superior head-to-head record against Fritz. He has beaten Fritz thrice in their five matches on the ATP Tour, including at Queen’s Club in 2022. Despite the head-to-head advantage, Draper knows that he is in for a difficult battle against the 28-year-old.
“There’s obviously not many tougher draws you can get. So I think it’s just important that I focus on my preparation, and I believe that I can win the match. But I need to play incredible tennis and compete really hard and need to be ready for it,” he added.
Draper will have two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in his corner as he looks to plot a deep run at SW19. He has never made it past the second round at his home Grand Slam, but Murray’s presence could be just the boost he needs to improve his record.
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The 24-year-old started his grass-court swing with a semifinal run at the Eastbourne Open last week. The tournament was his first ATP Tour event since April, and he can draw plenty of encouragement from his performances as he heads into Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Fritz missed the Eastbourne Open title defense due to injury after making back-to-back finals in Stuttgart and Halle.
