‘I love that player’: What experts say about Draper

Fifty-two weeks later, Draper enters the second week as a top 5 talent and one of the players with a legitimate shot at crashing the party on finals weekend. 

What are the tennis cognoscenti saying about the Brit’s rapid rise up the rankings? Read on to find out… 

Sinner: Things are different

Italy’s Jannik Sinner, a good friend of Draper's, has become extremely wary of the rising force this year. Can you blame him? 

“I'm very happy to have him as a friend, but he's now there [at the top],” Sinner said on Friday in Paris. “Things are a little bit different. Of course, we are very good friends off the court, but we practise a little bit less together because we know that we can face each other in the later stages of tournaments.” 

The top-seeded Italian, who could face his friend in the quarter-finals, says that Draper has quickly become one of the most reliable talents on the ATP Tour. 

“This year maybe he is the most consistent player we have on tour because he won big titles, he went far in every tournament,” Sinner says of Draper, who won his biggest career title in March at Indian Wells. “That means that you are feeling comfortable. In every tournament, in every situation, he knows how to play, he knows how to handle it.

“Mentally he's in a very good moment, and I'm very happy for him. I wish him only the best.”

Jim Courier, two-time Roland-Garros champion, believes that Draper is an outside bet to raise the Coupe des Mousquetaires this year, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t blown away by the menacing southpaw's tennis.

“Draper has been so impressive this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do the rest of the way because his game has really filled out nicely and it seems like he’s got his fitness in a decent place,” Courier said. 

The last American to win back-to-back titles on the terre battue says that Draper has proven that he can perform at an elite level on the big stage. 

“Can he win Roland-Garros? I think he’s a longshot relative to some of the other players, but he’s proven that he can hang with the top players and beat them as well, so I’m fascinated to see how he goes at Roland-Garros,” he said. “He has the confidence of having made a semi-final at the US Open, so he knows that he can perform in these types of arenas.” 

Former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki believes that Draper would have a good shot to take out Sinner in the quarter-finals, if that matchup comes to fruition. 

“What’s most impressive about Draper is the fact that clay is probably his least favourite surface, and he’s still out here making it look so easy,” Wozniacki said from the TNT desk on Saturday. “His movement has gotten much more fluid, he can play in tough, heavy conditions and he also loves playing in fast conditions like we had [on Saturday.]

“When he plays his best tennis, can he beat Sinner? I don’t know, but it would be a tight match in my opinion.” 

Gains on the clay

A lot of Draper’s recent progress has been made on the terre battue. Draper was 9-11 on the surface prior to this season; so far in 2025 he has won 12 of 15 and reached his first Masters final on the surface, at Madrid. Not too shabby. 

Gael Monfils says that Draper’s return of serve has aided his rise.

“I love this player. I love the way he plays,” Monfils said after falling to Draper in a thrilling night session match on Day 5. “Where he's really progressed is that he returns really well. He's far from the baseline and the ball's always in at the right speed, the right course. He's made a tremendous amount of progress in that regard."

Courier couldn’t stop gushing when asked to elaborate on Draper’s capacities in a conference call to promote TNT’s coverage of Roland-Garros. 

“His forehand has become a monster,” he said, enumerating a few of Draper’s many strong points. “There is so much shape to it now. He’s able to hit angles and blast through it. 

“I love the way he is stepping up and cracking his backhand flat crosscourt and keeping right-handed players honest. A lot of left-handed players like to guide their backhand down the line and try to provoke a backhand crosscourt into their forehand, he’s happy to take the Nadal tactic and go flat hard crosscourt.” 

Courier adds that Draper’s biggest strides have come in his mental game and the trust he has gained in his ability to stand toe-to-toe with top players on the biggest stages. 

“As much as anything I think it’s the mentality of staying in there and believing in himself,” he says. “When you can trust your body a little bit more, you have a little bit more self-belief that you can deliver under pressure – he’s been unbelievably impressive this year.”

While commentating on Draper’s dominant victory over Joao Fonseca on Saturday, American legend John McEnroe may have said it best. 

“He must have won the most improved player award last year,” said McEnroe, referring to the award won by France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in 2024. “He’s sure gonna win it this year if he didn’t win it last year.”