Jack Draper stormed into the last-16 at Roland Garros for the first time with a convincing win against Joao Fonseca, with the hype around the British No 1 now set to go to the next level.
Draper is set to rise into the top four of the ATP Rankings for the first time after the second major of the tennis year after he powered into the second week 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory over his high-rated teenage opponent.
Draper had way too much power for Fonseca as he won in just one hour and 46 minutes, with his first serve way too much for the Brazilian as the gulf in class between a Grand Slam contender and a player who is still making his way up the rankings was highlighted.
The spotlight that has been shining on Draper will now get even brighter as he continues his rise towards the top of the game and with his home Grand Slam at Wimbledon coming up next month, the 23-year-old is set to experience a huge amount of media and public attention over the next few weeks.
Tennis365 sat down with tennis legend Chris Evert as we joined the TNT Sports team in Paris and she admitted she has some concerns over the focus that will now fall on Draper.
More Tennis News
The 2025 grass-court events that Emma Raducanu will play and her Wimbledon seeding chance
Mark Petchey ‘tired of hearing’ one thing about Emma Raducanu after French Open hammering
The British media are notorious for building up and knocking down their sporting superstars and Evert has hopes Draper can deal with what is set to come his way.
“Jack Draper, what is happening with him,” began Evert, in an exclusive interview with Tennis365.
“He looks so fit, a good looking boy. He has a lot going for him and I just hope the press leave him alone and let him get on with playing tennis.
“I’m surprised that he is playing so well on the clay. He has a lot of power in his game, but he has not be known for his consistency up to now.
“What I notice is he has a real professional attitude to the game. He looks so fit. He seems to have the belief that he belongs at the top.
“I’m just so impressed with what we are seeing from Jack, but let’s keep things real. He is still a young guy and it will take time for him to get right where he wants to be.”
Evert also gave Tennis365 her views on what comes next for Raducanu, after she was comprehensively beaten by Iga Swiatek in the second round at Roland Garros.
“I just feel she has lost so many years of her career because of the whole thing around the one big win,” Evert told Tennis365.
“It’s the same with Naomi (Osaka). You could through so and all of a sudden you have that one big win.
“Emma is a beautiful girl and that probably didn’t help. The endorsements came in, the coaches were coming in an out and still her expectations are right up there now.
“She’s not there yet. She’s got to build, go back to the drawing board and build-up slowly. Maybe she had to swallow her pride a little because she’s not up there yet.”
Evert went on to suggest Raducanu can aim to get back in the mix at the top of the game, even though she suggested her US Open win almost four years ago was a laced with some fortune.
“I think she can get top 10 again,” added Evert. “If there is a solid commitment from her, I think top 10 can happen again.
“You have to remember a lot of people [top players] lost when she won that US Open and the player Emma beat in the final, Leylah Fernandez, had nothing left.
“Leylah beat three players in the top five. Emma didn’t beat anyone in the top ten. I remember commenting on the match and you could see that.
“If Leylah had won, her life may have changed forever, but Emma is the one who had to live through that experience. We will never see a qualifier come through and do what she did again, but it was tough for her after that.”
Watch every moment of the French Open live and exclusive on TNT Sports and discovery+
READ NEXT: Chris Evert makes bold Emma Raducanu rankings claim as she expresses her fears
The post Chris Evert fears Jack Draper may face same fate as Emma Raducanu appeared first on Tennis365.
Tennis News – Tennis365