Jack Draper: Tim Henman believes British No 1 will only get better with time having won Indian Wells

Sky Sports Tennis analyst Tim Henman believes British No 1 Jack Draper “is doing all the right things” and will only get better having claimed the prestigious Indian Wells title earlier this month.

Draper secured the biggest win of his career to date in Indian Wells earlier this month when he defeated Holger Rune 6-2 6-2 in the final of the BNP Paribas Open to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title.

Although the 23-year-old suffered a shock loss to Jakub Mensik in his next match at the Miami Open, Henman is full of praise for the new world No 7.

“It’s absolutely fantastic the way Jack’s been playing and I’m not really that surprised,” four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Henman said after being announced as Team Europe’s vice-captain for this year’s Laver Cup.

“I think what is taking place now is the pieces of the puzzle coming together and those pieces have always been there, but if anything, it’s just perhaps been a few of the little injuries that have kept him from building that momentum in tournament play.

“That’s what I think is exciting – he’s seven in the world, he’s just won his first Masters 1000 and to me, he still hasn’t really played a consistent 12-18 months on tour.

“When you take a deeper dive into his game, there are very few weaknesses and still areas to improve on.

“The quality of his serving has been huge, hitting his spots very well, the power on the forehand was brilliant to watch in Indian Wells.

“I would like him to finish more points at the net. When you’re that aggressive, you can bring that extra string to your bow, but for a big guy, he’s a great athlete who moves well.

“I think that’s what I find exciting for the next decade, hopefully.”

‘Who knows what Jack can go on to achieve’

Henman has already spoken to Draper about competing in the eighth edition of the Laver Cup in September and was asked what advice he would give the left-hander if that happened.

“Jack is doing all the right things,” Henman added. “My message would be ‘more of the same’.

“I think Indian Wells and Miami are the perfect example of the life of a professional tennis player in that you’ve got the greatest high of his career and then losing the first match in Miami.

“As frustrating and disappointing as that may be, that goes with the territory. Keep developing, keep working hard and who knows what Jack can go on to achieve.

“He doesn’t know and we don’t know, but he’s going to find out and I’ll certainly be doing my bit to persuade him to be involved because I think he will be a big asset for Team Europe.”

‘Draper is a live contender for Wimbledon’

Commentator Jonathan Overend feels Draper has the potential to win Wimbledon this summer following his success in the California desert.

“I absolutely think he can win Wimbledon,” said Overend. “I don’t think we should be scared of saying that.

“I actually said at the start of the year that I thought a British player would make the Wimbledon final. Absolutely no logic behind that other than waking up in the middle of the night and having a premonition, and Draper is the leading contender out of the likes of Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu.

“No one would want to draw him and now he’s into the world’s top eight, that means he only plays those players ahead of him at the quarter-final stage at the earliest, so that’s a really little significant landmark in the rankings.

“Once you’re inside the top eight that’s a big bonus at the Grand Slams, and it’s on grass. It’s in his backyard, it’s a couple of miles from his home. It’s absolutely perfectly set up.

“I’m not saying it’s going to happen but he’s a live contender for Wimbledon 2025.”

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