“If you lose a match these days, just go to my latest Instagram picture, you’ll probably see about 100 messages with emojis of clowns and snakes and all this kind of stuff.” That brutally honest admission came from Jack Draper in August 2024. It wasn’t just a moment of frustration; it was a glimpse into the raw psychological toll social media takes on your head, slowly and quietly. And that’s where Draper struggles. Despite being Britain’s best hope at Wimbledon 2025, this mental battle still lingers. But it seems he’s finally been given the mental reset he needs, just before the real test begins.

The 23-year-old southpaw has climbed to a career-high World No. 4, lifted his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, and pushed deep into Queen’s Club with a semi-final showing. But as the spotlight grows and the headlines pile on, so does the pressure and the backlash. Fortunately, Mats Wilander gave him the kind of advice he badly needed, just two days before the Championships.

Tennis legend Mats Wilander gave him some advice that doesn’t focus on Draper’s strokes or strategy, but something far more dangerous: the noise outside the court. So, in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Wilander broke down Draper’s readiness for Wimbledon, praising his serve, athleticism, and backhand, all tools well-suited for grass. He believes Draper has the weapons to go deep in the tournament, maybe even reach the final. However, Wilander quickly shifted focus from technique to mentality.

Step by step, he laid out the biggest obstacle facing the young Brit this summer, and it’s not Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, or Carlos Alcaraz. It’s the pressure of public attention. “I think that for Jack Draper, the social media and newspapers are going to be the biggest enemy, I think, because there’s going to be a lot of stories, good ones, most probably mostly,” Wilander said. “And people are going to start trying to dig things up about Jack Draper, Jack Draper this, and Jack Draper that. So I think that’s what you have to stay away from.”

His point isn’t hypothetical; it’s grounded in what British players have historically faced at Wimbledon. From Tim Henman to Andy Murray, the home crowd’s cheers have always come with suffocating pressure and relentless tabloid coverage. But in Draper’s era, that pressure is amplified by the constant, inescapable presence of social media. Every missed shot, every reaction, every detail of his life is dissected online in real time.

“You can have all the other stuff going on on the outside. But if you start reading papers and social media and there might be articles here and there, I think that’s really bad.” Wilander knows that the real test for Draper won’t just come from Centre Court, it will come from his ability to block out the noise, resist the temptation to scroll, and keep his mind firmly on the tennis. Wilander’s warning couldn’t be more timely.

Draper is entering his home Slam with enormous fanfare, British players haven’t won a men’s singles title at Wimbledon since Andy Murray in 2016, and the country is hungry for another hero. As cameras follow his every move and headlines balloon with speculation and praise, Draper’s greatest challenge may be staying grounded, because we know how social media has haunted him in the past. Remember last year?

Why Jack Draper’s toughest match might be off the court

Back in August 2024, Jack Draper found himself at the center of a storm during the Cincinnati Masters. A controversial match point where he unknowingly hit a double-bounce volley led to a win that many fans deemed unfair. Though the umpire didn’t call it out and Draper didn’t cheat intentionally, the internet reacted brutally. Social media turned toxic overnight, with fans flooding his Instagram with snake and clown emojis and accusing him of lying and cheating.

Draper later admitted, “It took me a couple of days to recover mentally and emotionally,” and added, “All of a sudden you get criticism from people when you don’t play well, they tell you you’re terrible at tennis … But when you get comments you cheating lying….. it definitely gets into your mind.” He further added, “If you lose a match these days … you’ll probably see about 100 messages…. snakes and all this kind of stuff.” These are some of the experiences that gave tennis legend Mats Wilander a point of great concern. But does Jack have a good chance of winning Wimbledon in the year 2025 still?

Jack Draper enters Wimbledon 2025 not just as Britain’s top seed, but as a serious contender with real momentum and rising belief. After capturing his maiden Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells and breaking into the world’s top 5, Draper has surged into the spotlight. Bookmakers currently place his odds between +1000 and +1800, marking him as a credible threat behind only Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic.

The path won’t be easy, with Djokovic potentially in the quarter-finals, Sinner in the semis, and Alcaraz possibly waiting in the final. Yet what makes Draper’s run feel different this time is not just his physical game, but his mental shift. With a team focused on mindset and performance under pressure, and the weight of a nation once again on Centre Court, Draper appears more equipped than ever to silence the noise, carry the hope, and possibly, make history.