Jack Draper is still only 24 years old but has seemingly led 10 tennis lives by this point in his career. The former ATP No. 4 has the skill level to be great and make runs to put himself in a position to win Grand Slams. Maybe he can be a threat to win Wimbledon, which begins at the end of June.
First, though, he needs to get his fitness back in full. Due to various injuries (this year alone, he has had arm and knee issues), he hasn't been able to play nearly as many matches as he would want. Ahead of his first match in Eastbourne, a true warm-up event for Wimbledon, Draper's ranking had fallen all the way to No. 160.
Tennis fans know that the Brit is far better than that ranking, but Draper needed to remind his first-round opponent in Eastbourne, Marcus Giron, of that as well. Both players are huge-hitters with massive serves, but Draper, at his best, should be a tick better.
Jack Draper overcomes Marcus Giron at the 2026 Eastbourne Open
He was in the first set, too. While each player held serve impressively, Draper had a bit of an easier time. Like all great players, though, he saved his best for the most important time. With Giron trying to even the match at 5-all, Draper pushed the American to the brink, and then Giron double-faulted to drop the game and lose the set.
A quick start to the second set saw each player barely drop a point on the serve (Draper rarely even needed a long rally to take points during his service games) until Giron was serving at 2-3. He dropped the first three points, however, and after losing a point, Jack Draper hit a backhand that clipped the top of the net and dribbled over. His 4-2 lead likely cemented the outcome of the match.
Not quite so fast. With a presumed hold of serve to finish the set and match, Draper was stunningly broken at love by the American, and after a hold, the set was back on serve, and the outcome of the match still in the balance.
The second set eventually landed in a tie-break, and after Giron got a mini-break to start, Draper, through huge groundstrokes and exquisite drop shots, changed the narrative. He got mini-breaks himself and won the tie-break 7-5 to win the match.
Marcus Giron didn't play poorly in losing the match 4-6, 6-7(5), and Draper played better than many might have expected after not being able to play since April. Maybe his new coach, the magnificent Andy Murray, who began coaching his fellow Brit in May, has helped Draper's mental focus and how he approaches injuries.
If Jack Draper can stay healthy for an extended period of time, a rise back inside the top 10 is quite likely. That potential rise will continue in the second round of the Eastbourne Open, where he will play another Brit, 23-year-old Jack Pinnington Jones.
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