Jack Draper won’t care if he doesn’t win Queen’s after scraping through his second-round clash with Alexei Popyrin, according to former British pro John Lloyd.
The British No. 1 needed a tight final set tiebreak to see past the Australian to set up a clash with American Brandon Nakashima.
This comes after Jack Draper called his match with Jenson Brooksby ‘tricky’ after a simple straight-sets victory.
Despite fans’ hopes he’ll become the first British star to win the tournament since Andy Murray in 2016, Lloyd has suggested Draper won’t care if he crashes out in the quarterfinal.
Queen’s ‘practice’ before Wimbledon, says John Lloyd
Lloyd has declared Draper’s mind will be fully on preparing for Wimbledon at this point, instead of winning the London competition.
“It’s literally just getting sharp, you get that through practice, and matches, that’s what he needs,” said Lloyd on BBC’s coverage of the competition.
Wimbledon kicks off on June 30 and Draper is not expected to play a tournament in the week between the competition and Queen’s.
“He knows that, he’s got two matches under his belt now, he’s got a third one coming up,” continued Lloyd.
“In an ideal world, he wants to win this tournament, but no matter what happens now, he’s okay for Wimbledon, he’s played enough matches, and certainly will have done by Friday.”
There is another aspect Draper will need to think about at Queen’s, however. The British star needs to reach the semifinals of the competition in order to make his life easier at Wimbledon.
If he gets to the final four of the London competition, he should ensure he gets his top 4 ranking back after Taylor Fritz crashed out in the first round.
Should he enter Wimbledon in the top 4, he will not have to play Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, or Alexander Zverev until the semifinals.
Jack Draper highlights a huge difference in his play ahead of Wimbledon
Draper has come on leaps and bounds in 2025 as he’s become one of the most powerful players on the tour.
Draper has put in hard yards in the gym and he believes that will help him ahead of the best chance at Wimbledon he’s ever had.
“I have felt better and better every Grand Slam I have played,” said Draper in an interview with BBC Sport.
“Before I felt like my energy wasn’t that strong, and I felt like I looked like a bit of a Ferrari but I was a bit of a Toyota, like broke down quite easily,” Draper explained.
“Now I’m starting to feel generally stronger and confident in myself.”
That’s exactly what British tennis fans will want to hear ahead of the World No. 6’s appearance on home soil at SW19.