Jack Draper and Andy Murray have plenty in common, yet at the same time could arguably not be more different.
The key similarity they share is having had the blessed burden of being Britain’s outstanding hope for tennis success, with expectation both a privilege and a curse.
Everybody knows the story of the Scotsman and how he rose through the rankings to compete alongside the greatest male players ever to play the sport. In the end, his three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic Gold Medals, and numerous other honours have cemented his legacy within not just his homeland but across the entire sporting world.
Jack Draper could only dream of ending his career with such a legacy, but he should feel confident in doing so given he has all the tangible qualities needed to be a threat at the very highest level.
Fortunately, he also boasts one trait which has now been compared to Andy Murray, indicating that there is at least another thing they share, which could help the 22-year-old along his career.
Barry Cowan explains how Jack Draper reminds him of Andy Murray
Speaking exclusively to Tennishead, former professional tennis star Barry Cowan offered us this comparison whilst speaking to him after Wimbledon’s conclusion.
Having competed in Wimbledon himself and enjoyed wins in the main draw too, he knows all about what it takes to compete at the very highest level with British hopes buoying your success.
Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images
And, speaking about Draper, he sought to outline exactly what is needed to help him take the step up to finally compete with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Cowan began: “Well, I think [he’s missing] experience. I still feel he’s very inexperienced at that level. I think the US Open probably, I felt it at the time, I think it probably came ahead of schedule.
“Since then, he’s definitely, definitely upped his game. I think that started in Vienna, where he played some incredible tennis and then that followed through, obviously. At the end of last year was a little problematic with the injury, which knocked his preseason, and I thought the way he played in Indian Wells was incredible.
“But I still feel that this is a learning process for Draper.
Jack Draper’s last six Grand Slam performances
“I don’t see him yet as someone who right now can win a major, but one thing that Jack always is is an incredible competitor, and from the moment I first saw him actually play Djokovic at Wimbledon on Centre Court. That was sort of, I wouldn’t necessarily say will to win, almost the hate to lose, reminds me of Murray a lot.”
This comes after Cowan assessed Emma Raducanu’s chances of success at the US Open, midway through her run to the Washington Open semi-finals.
Barry Cowan rates Jack Draper’s performance at Wimbledon
This was not all that the 50-year-old had to say on Draper though, keen to emphasise not only his progression, but also where he might still be lacking.
Asked about his recent Wimbledon campaign, which disappointingly ended in just the second round, Cowan continued by admitting: “I think for Jack, he’s obviously had an incredible 12 months and to come in at four, which I don’t think many people would have thought that would have been the case 12 months ago, but I said before Wimbledon started, I still feel grass is his least favourite surface.
Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images
“I think there are areas of his game that clearly he would or needs to improve. I think he talked about that, on a quicker court, the ball stays lower.
“I think there are aspects of his game that, i.e. on the forehand, he needs to try and stay further up the court. So when the big ball strike comes from the other end, he’s able to hit that ball back with interest.
“But he did come up against an inspired opponent in Cilic. So he has so much that can happen, it can just be the draw, you know, the luck of the gods or the other way around.”
He saw similarities with Raducanu’s run too, claiming: “Obviously, Raducanu was the same thing with Sabalenka, so I just sort of probably felt that this was a year too soon for Draper, and I also felt that he didn’t have the greatest preparation coming in the week before because he was obviously sick. He had tonsillitis at Queen’s. And although he battled on there, he clearly was not 100% fit, and I do feel that, as anyone who watched Wimbledon, the top three, for me, are level or two ahead of the rest.
“And if they are the guys, i.e. Draper, obviously some of the younger players, like Mensik, obviously some of the older players, like a Zverev, I still feel that they need to be absolutely firing to even challenge those three top guys.”