Draper and Raducanu, the great hopes of the United Kingdom for Wimbledon

Pedro de Pablos | 23 Jun 2026 | 13.16

Draper and Raducanu, the great hopes of the United Kingdom for Wimbledon. Source: Getty Images.

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Wimbledon 26 has already kicked off with the first matches of the qualifier, and United Kingdom has placed its hopes for the title to stay at home in two names: Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu. Both are the country's two biggest stars, although there is a big question mark regarding their figure that puts into doubt their chances of achieving a good result.

The case of Jack Draper has its lights and shadows. The British tennis player is one of the most talented players on the tour when he is in good physical condition, as he demonstrated in 2024 when he reached world number 4. Jack has abundant tennis skills, and grass suits him perfectly. On this surface, he has already defeated players like Carlos Alcaraz, his serve is powerful, and his forehand is just as strong. Furthermore, he has recently added Andy Murray to his team as a coach, which will be an extra incentive.

On the other hand, there is Emma Raducanu, whose career path is even more uncertain than Draper's. The British tennis player burst onto the scene by winning the US Open in 2021, which augured a very promising future for her. However, her career has been a rollercoaster ride since then. Nonetheless, she comes in with high morale after reaching the final at Queen's, and last year she already proved at the All England Club that she can compete even against Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one.

The big question mark for Draper and Raducanu at Wimbledon

There are plenty of arguments to justify why both players could reach the final rounds, but there is a big question mark regarding the figure of both players: physical condition. In Draper's case, shoulder and knee injuries have made his life a nightmare in recent months, to the extent of dropping out of the top 100 and losing all confidence in his tennis. It is not the first time in his career that this has happened, and he has always returned at a good level, as seen yesterday with his victory over Marcos Giron in Eastbourne, but doubts always linger.

As for Raducanu, her injury history is no less significant. Back issues, a virus, a leg... Every time it seems like she is back to her old self, something happens in her body that abruptly halts her aspirations. It's always one step forward, two steps back, as the saying goes. In fact, in the Queen's final, she was seen with a bandage on her thigh, another sign that she struggles to find the consistency to arrive fresh in the final rounds of major tournaments.

Murray's shadow looms large

In this century, only Andy Murray has managed to bring the Wimbledon title back to the United Kingdom (2013 and 2016), so the pressure is increasing considering the tournament's prestige. In fact, Murray himself experienced those expectations since the last British player to lift the trophy had been Fred Perry (1934, 1935, and 1936). Too long of a wait that they do not want to experience again.

For Raducanu, the pressure is even greater, as the last British female champion was Virginia Wade in 1977. 49 years have passed since then, with the audience at the All England Club eagerly awaiting a new local star on the WTA circuit to bring them joy. However, this year it would be a miracle to think this could happen in both cases. Draper arrives with little match practice, while Raducanu seems far from the top 10 players after that long period of inactivity, so it would be a huge surprise that would make them part of history.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Draper y Raducanu, las grandes esperanzas de Reino Unido para Wimbledon

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