Jimmy Connors is already looking ahead to Wimbledon, fresh from an enthralling French Open in which Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek both came out victorious.
It marks the continuation of two already great young legacies, and it’s fair to say that the future of both men’s and women’s tennis really is in safe hands with this duo.
However, despite their respective fine form, the 21-year-old in particular remains far from invincible.
And the former world number one, who is now a renowned pundit, seems to think highly of one man who Alcaraz might soon face at Queen’s.
Jimmy Connors makes Jack Draper Wimbledon prediction
Speaking on his podcast earlier today, Advantage Connors, the legendary US tennis player sought to comb over all the competitions that have been in play ahead of Wimbledon, which starts next month.
The 71-year-old could not go through without mentioning Jack Draper, who of course won his first ATP title in emphatic fashion, impressively overcoming a resurgent Matteo Berrettini in Stuttgart.
And now, Connors has factored this success into his Wimbledon prediction for the young Great British player, even suggesting he might benefit from taking a leaf out of Bryson DeChambeau’s book.
He noted: ‘He has got a big game. He is a lefty, he is a big kid and has a big game. Grass should suit him. He is playing Queen’s and Wimbledon, with the crowd and everything playing in his home country and home championships.
‘He could do with DeChambeau did at the US Open and suck that crowd in and get them on his side. I know what it’s like to have 20,000 people on your side. It’s an amazing feeling. They can help you do a lot of good things. If he gets stuck in there at that tournament good things could happen with that crowd, that’s for sure.’
DeChambeau enjoyed a fine final day of golf yesterday, and narrowly overcame Rory McElroy to win the US Open for a second time.
Jack Draper can cause Carlos Alcaraz problems
Now heading into Queen’s, Draper will be hoping to maintain his fine start to the grass-court season with a strong showing in his home country.
And should he bypass Mariano Navone, who could cause a threat to the 22-year-old, he will then face Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion.
This would mark a formidable task for anyone in the world to take on, but Draper need not be scared. This marks the finest chance he will get to dethrone the Spaniard, even if he has just won Roland Garros.
After all, he should feel just as buoyed himself, and there are few players on tour who will be able to deal with his serve on this surface.
If he can keep things airtight and not make too many mistakes, there is every chance that the Englishman could continue his fine form and cause an almighty upset on home soil.
Draper marks the start of Carlos Alcaraz’s nightmare Queen’s draw, which could also include Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov and Tommy Paul, to name a few.
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