Andy Murray has delivered his verdict on a Great Britain star who could have a seriously bright future.
Murray is winding down his career now, with the end in sight for the three-time Grand Slam winner.
Over the weekend, Murray was announced in the Team GB squad for the Olympics and he will play singles and doubles.
With Wimbledon on the horizon, Murray has been discussing some of the other top talents coming through the Great British ranks.
He believes that one in particular could really start to kick on after achieving some success over the weekend.
What Andy Murray has said about Jack Draper
The youngster has caught the eye this weekend and he’s certainly served the other British players with a warning.
Draper won the Stuttgart Open yesterday, beating Matteo Berrettini in the final by two sets to one.
It was a brilliant week for the Great Britain player who served a whopping 31 aces in his quarter-final against Frances Tiafoe on Friday.
Now, Murray has been quizzed on the 22-year-old after his first title as a professional was claimed on Sunday.
Murray told I News: “Everyone is different in the things that motivate them. Jack, I think, has bigger goals to aspire to than being the British No 1.
“In my opinion, he can get up to the top of the game, to the top of the world rankings.
“He genuinely loves his sport, he’s really into it, he works very hard, very hard.
“I think the grass is a brilliant surface for him, I think he’ll do really well over the years on the surface.”
Draper must now showcase his quality at bigger events
As a young player, Draper is still finding his way when it comes to life on tour as a professional tennis player.
Beating a former Wimbledon finalist in Berrettini should give him a lot of confidence going into the rest of the year.
It also serves to highlight what a player he could become on grass and it’s hard to imagine too many wanting to draw him at Wimbledon.
After claiming the Stuttgart Open silverware, the challenge now is to focus on doing better at the bigger tournaments.
Draper would love to go deep at Queen’s this week but his attention will soon be switching to Wimbledon.
The youngster has never gone beyond the second round at Wimbledon and he’s never gone further than the fourth round in any Grand Slam.
Now, Draper can take a lot of heart from his first title, and the fact that he’s got Murray’s backing should also do a lot for his confidence.
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