HSBC Championships 2025: Jack Draper gets set to challenge Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner this summer
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This time last year, Draper had arrived at the HSBC Championships ranked No.31 in the world and had just lifted his maiden ATP Tour-level title at the Boss Open.
Now, he’s established himself inside the world’s top five, reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam and lifted the ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells - to name just a few of his accomplishments.
Draper has made the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club his first stop on the grass following a string of impressive performances during the European clay court swing.
The world No.4 finished runner-up to Casper Ruud at the Mutua Madrid Open, reached the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters and earned his first win at Roland Garros on his way to the fourth round.
The British No.1 has now put the clay court swing behind him and is looking forward to getting his grass court campaign underway at his home tournament, which is set to welcome a world-class line-up including five-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Holger Rune and more.
“I look back on my clay court season as a whole and as someone who hasn’t done that well on the clay I thought I embraced the surface very well and I improved a lot on it,” Draper reflected in his press conference ahead of the HSBC Championships.
“I got home, had a couple of days off then got on the grass. I was happy to get on a faster surface to be honest. In tennis you have to have a short term memory, you have to understand why you lost certain matches.
“I take it in my stride and obviously feel good coming into these next few tournaments.”
This year marks four years since Draper won his first ever ATP match, which came right here on the grass at Queen’s against now world No.1 Jannik Sinner.
A then 18-year-old Draper was awarded a wild card to the main draw and grabbed the opportunity with both hands - beating Sinner and Alexander Bublik on his way to the quarter-finals.
The three-time ATP titleholder will be hoping he can hit the ground running on the grass in West London this week ahead of the third Grand Slam of the season at Wimbledon.
“I think there’s no secret I’d love to do amazingly well this week but Wimbledon would be a priority for me. I think it’s always an interesting one, that first match or tournament on the grass, there’s a lot of players who maybe aren’t amazingly prepared.
“We’ve just come from a surface where we’re grinding out points, having to win the point seven times on the trot to get one point. So, coming onto a fast surface, the margins are small but I’m feeling good and I’m ready to compete as hard as possible.
“It’s a home tournament for me as well, so that’s an added motivation for me to do well here as well.”
The Briton arrives at Queen’s as the second seed at an ATP 500 tournament for the first time and will undoubtedly be a leading contender to challenge for the title.
2023 HSBC Championships winner Alcaraz has also touched down in West London following his unforgettable comeback victory over Sinner in the Roland Garros final a week ago, which has given Draper some extra fire in his belly to reach the same heights as the world’s top two players.
“I’m very proud to be here, to be the number two seed. I’ve come a long way since I played Jannik (Sinner) here in 2021 and I’m really proud of the position I’m in and how my tennis is improving.
“Those two guys (Alcaraz and Sinner) are really setting the way and I’m looking forward to chasing them down.
“I don’t know what I’m capable of yet, but I aspire to be at that level. What those guys are doing is setting the way and it’s changing the game. Players like myself are going to be working very hard to get to that point, that's for sure.”
The men’s event - which has been crowned ATP 500 tournament of the year for three consecutive seasons - will get underway following the conclusion of an incredible return of women’s tennis to the Queen’s Club this week.
“I think it’s great they’re able to play in London, at Queen’s. It’s definitely something I’ve heard the British players say over time, that they’d love to play at Queen’s so it’s nice they’ve been able to play here because honestly, it’s one of the best tournaments on the men’s circuit.
“I’ve been watching the women all week, it’s been great to see the level of play - it’s a really great thing and I hope they keep it here in London.”
Draper will be hoping he can replicate the success of his tennis idol Andy Murray, on the same court where he claimed a record-breaking five singles titles.
The beginning of the week welcomed back the three-time Grand Slam champion who unveiled the newly-named ‘Andy Murray Arena’ at the historic venue.
“You just can’t get rid of him clearly,” Draper joked when asked about the centre court being re-named after Murray. “He obviously is a huge inspiration to me. I remember coming here and watching him play when I was very young.
“Watching him play Wimbledon and the legacy he leaves behind is massive - he won here five times and hopefully I get to see him a little bit over this (grass court) period.
“I’m looking back over old videos of him playing, I’m always very inspired by him, so to play on his court - it’s a great thing they’ve done that. I’m looking forward to seeing him again, it’s been a while.”
Draper will begin his bid for the HSBC Championships title against American Jenson Brooksby, who earlier this year won his first ATP singles title at the U.S Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston.
You can watch Draper and the rest of the star-studded line up in action at the HSBC Championships live on BBC iPlayer, digital services and on Tennis Channel.
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