Former US Open champion Juan Martín del Potro believes Jack Draper has the game to challenge the very best — including Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz — but warned the British player must regain full confidence in his body to reach that level.
Draper, 24, has been tipped as a future Grand Slam contender, yet Del Potro stressed that consistency, fitness and coping with big-match pressure are the real tests. Drawing on his own career, which was disrupted by wrist and knee problems, Del Potro said physical issues can be the toughest obstacle for talented players.
This season has been stop-start for Draper. He missed nearly six months with a bone stress injury in his left arm before returning in February, and produced a notable victory over Novak Djokovic while defending his Indian Wells title, reaching the quarter-finals. He followed that with a straight-sets loss to Reilly Opelka in Miami, missed Monte-Carlo and was forced to retire in the deciding set against Tomás Martín Etcheverry in Barcelona, after which he pledged on social media to work his way back.
Despite those interruptions, Draper has shown resilience. He has also struggled with on-court anxiety and bouts of sickness, plus hip, knee and arm troubles, yet last year he reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final on clay in Madrid, pushing Casper Ruud to three sets — evidence, according to Del Potro, that Draper can handle the red dirt.
“As a lefty he has an advantage,” Del Potro said. “Draper is very talented, but sometimes the body can be the worst thing in your career. He’s trying to get confidence in his body. He has the tennis to play well, but you need your body to respond to the high intensity of matches and tournaments week after week. I think British tennis is in good hands.”
Reflecting on his own experience, Del Potro described injuries as the hardest part of tour life and urged players to build a full support network — not just a coach but a physical trainer, physio and mental coach — to speed recovery and manage setbacks.
At the Madrid Open, British players to watch include No. 1 Cam Norrie, who has posted solid results this year, and Emma Raducanu, who is scheduled to return from illness in Madrid — her first match since Indian Wells. Katie Boulter is also in the main draw after Sonay Kartal withdrew injured.
The Madrid Open main draw begins Tuesday April 21, with the women’s final on Saturday May 2 and the men’s final on Sunday May 3. Day sessions start at 9am and night sessions at 5:30pm. For the first time this year a clay practice court will be installed at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu from April 23–30 to better replicate conditions at La Caja Mágica.