The Wimbledon draw threw up some intriguing first-round clashes, perhaps none more so than Jack Draper versus Taylor Fritz.
This time last year, Draper and Fritz entered the Championships as seeds four and five, respectively.
But with the Briton’s injury struggles resulting in his ranking plummeting outside the top 100, he was always bound to draw a difficult opponent in the opening round at Wimbledon.
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Draper, Tiafoe, Mensik, Jodar, or someone else?
Fritz and Draper have clashed five times before on the ATP Tour, with the latter leading the head-to-head 3-2.
Their only previous meeting on grass came at the Queen’s Club Championships in London back in 2022, which went the way of the home hope.
Jack Draper looks ahead to first-round clash with Taylor Fritz
Addressing his first assignment in his pre-tournament press conference, Draper said: “Yeah, it’s obviously incredibly difficult.
What is preventing Taylor Fritz from winning a Grand Slam?
“I knew that coming into this tournament, not being a seed, you can get anyone. I think Taylor is an amazing competitor.
“We’ve played, I think, five or six times. Every time it’s been a real battle. It’s been about who can play better in the key moments.
| Year | Winner | Event | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2025 | Draper | Indian Wells | Round of 16 | Hard | 7-5, 6-4 |
| 2024 | Draper | Paris | Round of 32 | Hard | 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 |
| 2024 | Fritz | Olympics | Round of 32 | Clay | 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2024 | Fritz | Munich | Quarterfinal | Clay | 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2022 | Draper | Queen’s | Round of 32 | Grass | 6-3, 6-2 |
“I’d say also when we’ve played, we’ve brought out the best in each other as well. That’s good. There’s obviously not many tougher draws you can get.
“I think it’s just important that I focus on my preparation. I believe that I can obviously win the match, but I need to play incredible tennis, compete really hard, and be ready for it.”
Jack Draper issues positive fitness update ahead of Wimbledon
Draper has been sidelined for large portions of the 2026 season due to injury, but he delivered a positive fitness update ahead of his first match at Wimbledon.
“I would say that, in terms of my power when I compete, I’m in a really good place,” said the 24-year-old. “I’m moving great. I would still say I’m far from perfect, but I’m getting there.
“It’s been an incredibly long process. Like I said, it’s taken a lot out of me mentally, coming back and coming back and coming back.
“At the same time, I feel like I’m now in a position where I can compete at a really high level and compete with the best players.
“There was a period, even earlier this year, where I was compromising a lot of things. I was using gut strings, changing different areas of my game and hardly practicing at all.
“Now I’m in a position where my body can handle the workload and I’m able to go out there and compete.”
Draper has only ever made it as far as the second round at Wimbledon.
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