Jack Draper’s Wimbledon prep hit a snag at Queen’s Club, and it wasn’t just the semi-final loss that’s got people talking. The British star is dealing with tonsillitis that’s been affecting his game all week.
Draper goes into Wimbledon as the fourth seed and one of the tournament’s biggest dark horses. He’s sitting right behind the big three favorites – Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic.
But his tune-up at Queen’s Club didn’t exactly go according to plan.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Draper | 23 | 1,131 | 13 - 12 |
The 23-year-old started strong enough, beating Jenson Brooksby in his opener. Then he got past Alexei Popyrin and Brandon Nakashima, though he dropped sets to both guys.
Everything fell apart in the semis against Jiri Lehecka.
It was a heartbreaker – 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to the Czech player. Late in the match, you could see Draper’s frustration boiling over. He ended up taking it out on one of the advertising boards courtside.
Not his finest moment, and he knows it.
Frustration Boils Over
"A bit of everything, really. The way I sort of playing at times. Obviously the fact that, you know, I have worked so hard to get myself in that position. You know, I really tried to get myself up, get the energy going," Draper explained afterward.
He was pretty honest about losing his cool.
"When you see that ball go past you on that point, it’s very tough to see yourself breaking the next game, although I tried my best on that. I don’t condone obviously that behavior, but at the same time, that’s kind of where I was at today. I was trying to use everything I could. I tried to compete every ball. But in the end, anger just spilled over a little bit too much."
Health Struggles
The bigger concern? Draper admitted he’s been battling tonsillitis all week. That’s not exactly ideal timing with Wimbledon just around the corner.
"Just some phlegm. Been battling some… got tonsillitis. I haven’t felt good all week. I tried my best out there to get myself up for the matches and compete my hardest. I think part of that is my ups and downs in the matches."
Playing professional tennis while sick is brutal enough. Doing it on grass courts makes it even tougher.
"I have been sort of trying to get myself up for each point. When you’re in that state, especially on the grass court against these guys who are serving and playing like that, a couple of loose points here and there, you know you’re in big trouble."
Grass court tennis is unforgiving. Miss a few returns or lose focus for a game, and suddenly you’re watching your opponent celebrate.
The World No. 4 put things in perspective about playing through illness.
"I’m proud of the way I went about things, considering, you know, but it’s tough, because you’re in a position where you’re in a professional sport. You’re an entertainer, an athlete, and you have no choice. No one cares, you know. So you’ve just got to go out there and do the best you can. I’m proud of that. I gave myself a chance."
That’s the reality of pro sports – nobody’s handing out sympathy points because you’re feeling rough.
Now Draper’s got to shake off this setback and get ready for the biggest tournament on the tennis calendar. As a home player at Wimbledon, he’ll have the London crowd firmly in his corner.
The question is whether he can get healthy in time to make the most of it.
