On one level, it is mission accomplished for Jack Draper at Queen’s Club this week. Of course, there is still at tournament to win, a prestigious tournament at that, especially for a British player. Rather tantalisingly, Draper remains on an collision course with world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the final on Sunday.
But around these parts, there is always one eye firmly set on the big grass court dance, five miles south, in ten days’ time.
The surprise first-round exit of current world No 4 Taylor Fritz this week and the non-activity of No 5 Novak Djokovic, handed No 6 Draper a golden opportunity to seal a top-four seeding for Wimbledon. With that comes an easier quarter-final at SW19 – by ranking, avoiding the likes of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner until the semis – should he get there.
And with a patchy if not convincing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 quarter-final victory against Brandon Nakashima on Friday, Draper has secured the points he needs to return to the world No 4 spot on Monday. The boy from Putney will be the fourth seed at the All England Club; quite the rise from No 28 last year.
Tennis players tend not to worry too much about the potential pathways and ramifications. Much like the age-old footballer saying, it’s simply “focus on the next game.” And given Draper has never gone beyond the second round at his home Slam, that will remain the case come the first week of the Wimbledon fortnight.
But it’s unquestionably an advantage if, like us in the media and fans of the sport, you like to glance a little further forward.
Of immediate concern, though, will be the big-serving game of Jiri Lehecka – who defeated British No 2 Jacob Fearnley earlier in the day – in the HSBC Championships semi-finals on Saturday. The second seed this week at Queen’s, Draper is now just a match away from setting up an intriguing Sunday showpiece against Alcaraz, who he beat here last year.
On a stifling but overcast afternoon in west London, Draper came out all guns blazing against fellow 23-year-old Nakashima, ranked 32 in the world, who he beat on route to his first tour title on the grass of Stuttgart last year.
The Brit broke in the third game, courtesy of a shanked Nakashima forehand into the crowd, and staved off six break back opportunities for the American in a tight first-set, with Draper’s form ebbing and flowing sporadically.
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A key trait of any top player, however, is to convert when playing under-par and Draper, despite a curious overuse of the drop-shot against the speedy Nakashima, sealed the opener in overcast conditions with an ace.
The second set was tighter still. The cool-headed, unflappable Nakashima had more opportunities against serve, before Draper found his mark with aplomb under pressure.
Yet just a game away from a tiebreak, the Brit’s forehand went mysteriously astray and Nakashima, to the sound of groans on the Andy Murray Arena, claimed the second as Draper went long on the backhand wing.
Nakashima’s notable robustness in the rallies – no point was given up cheaply – seemed to be sapping the life out of Draper, two days on from his final-set tie-break win against Alexei Popyrin. But at 3-3, suddenly, a second wind.
Draper’s returns had a smidge more oomph, his body language picked up and Nakashima could not reacclimatise quick enough. Draper’s first break point chance flew agonisingly wide by a few millimetres but his second was clinched brilliantly, via a trademark forehand thump down the line.
Serving for the match, Draper saved two break points – one with a forehand plum on the line – and roared to the crowd for encouragement, and eventually sealed a hard-fought victory with a volley at the net. The relief on his face was clear as day.
It is a testament to Draper’s newfound equanimity that his game – and perhaps more pertinently, his mind – hit the mark needed once more at the end of the match. It is the sort of asset which is swinging sets, and matches, in his favour. And it very much makes Draper, the fourth-best player in the world, a bona fide threat on the grass.
