John McEnroe has named British number one Jack Draper as one of four players that can win Wimbledon.
Local favourite Draper breezed into the second round of Wimbledon after his first-round opponent Sebastian Baez retired in the third set.
Draper was in complete control when Baez pulled out through injury, having dropped just four games in the opening two sets.
The world number four has enjoyed an impressive rise over the past 12 months, reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 US Open and the fourth round of the previous Australian and US Opens.
Draper was tipped to make an impact at SW19 as the fourth seed but confidence in the Brit shrunk after he was handed an unenviable draw.
The 23-year-old faces former US Open champion Marin Cilic in the second round and could meet seven-time winner Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
If successful, Draper is due to face world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals and two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Despite that nightmare draw, McEnroe believes Draper is capable of becoming the first Brit since Sir Andy Murray to win Wimbledon.
But the American tennis icon views Draper as the ‘fourth favourite’ for the title behind Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic.
Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated men’s tennis over the past 12 months, sharing the past six Grand Slam titles.
The Spaniard is bidding to win a third successive title at the All England Club while Sinner has his sights set on a maiden Wimbledon trophy to add to his wins at the Australian and US Opens.
Who is the favourite to win Wimbledon?
Carlos Alcaraz
- Pedigree – a two-time defending champion, Carlitos is making Wimbledon his own
- Variety – no one on tour has as many weapons or tools to win matches
- Jannik Sinner’s number – on a five-match win streak against his biggest rival
Jannik Sinner
- World’s best – Sinner has dominated the rankings, even with three months off for a doping ban
- Uber-consistent – he rarely loses (Alcaraz aside) so don’t expect a shock early exit
- Effortless power – the world’s best ball striker, sinner can blow anyone off the court
Novak Djokovic
- Carlo Alcaraz threat – he has a winning head-to-head against the favourite and has beaten him in their last two meetings
- Experience – no one in the sport has been there and done it more times than Novak
- History – Djokovic is still motivated and has a record 25th slam in his sights
George Bellshaw, tennis expert and co-host of the Tennis Unfiltered podcast, speaking to Metro. Listen to the latest episode of Tennis Unfiltered here.
Djokovic cannot be discounted either as the 38-year-old looks to win at Wimbledon for the eighth time and clinch a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title.
As Draper dismantled Baez in his opening Wimbledon clash, McEnroe said on BBC One: ‘Jack Draper is the fourth favourite to win this tournament.
‘He could win a major for the first time in his life, this is about dealing with the nerves. That’s pressure but it’s also a pretty cool feeling.
‘I wouldn’t pick Draper as my No. 1 [to win Wimbledon]. I would pick the obvious pick as No. 1 but it’s difficult to win three in a row.
‘In terms of the favourite, it’s a toss-up between Alcaraz and Sinner. Jack might have to beat both of those guys and Novak and that’s the really hard part.
‘Obviously he might not have to – there’s already been a few upsets – but it wasn’t a nice draw.
‘If he plays Novak, Novak has the edge over him because he’s done it. But Jack Draper is right there, he’s the next guy and crazy things can happen.
‘Andy [Murray] knows what this is like because he had two or three of them ahead of him throughout his career.’
One player Draper will not have to play as he dreams of winning Wimbledon is third seed Alexander Zverev, who suffered a surprise first-round defeat to Arthur Rinderknech.
Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Bublik are among the other high-profile departures from the men’s draw.
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