Sam Querrey suggests what Jack Draper’s team should be telling him after his latest loss in Cincinnati

Draper recently cut an emotional figure at the Canadian Open, seemingly distraught by his current plight.

How concerned are you that injuries could disrupt Jack Draper from reaching his full potential?

The 23-year-old most recently competed in Cincinnati, where he was beaten in his opening match by Martin Landaluce.

Draper led Landaluce 5-2 in the second set, but eventually lost 6-3, 7-5 to the Spaniard.

Sam Querrey, the former Wimbledon semi-finalist, has now weighed in on Draper’s recent troubles.

Sam Querrey would tell Jack Draper to focus on enjoyment rather than strategy

“It is hard to watch Draper play right now. To see where he has set the bar for himself, it’s hard to watch him not play to his best ability,” Steve Johnson, the former world number 21, said on the Nothing Major Show.

Sam Querrey, Johnson’s co-host, then added: “His forehand speed last year compared to this year is 6 mph lower on average, which is quite a bit lower.

“I feel for Draper. He was playing so well at the beginning of last year.”

Draper began the 2025 ATP season with a bang, winning his first Masters title in Indian Wells and reaching the Madrid Open final.

The Briton rose to a career-high ranking of world number four following his excellent performances.

Since then, arm and knee injuries have stunted Draper’s development.

“It almost feels for him right now that you can just see his mind wandering on the court with every shot. I don’t know what he’s going through, it’s tough,” Querrey continued.

“But it almost feels like every tournament he goes to right now, just give him the balls, don’t even talk about strategy, and tell him to go out and have fun. Enjoy it.

“It almost seems like he needs to loosen the shoulders and just try to enjoy playing tennis rather than focus on strategy and trying to win matches and getting points back.

“It’s so much easier said than done, but he’s in a tough place right now.

“He’s in a hole and it’s going to take him a while to crawl out of it too. If you have injuries, and he’s had some tough ones over the last year, that is not something that you come back with and it’s like six weeks and he’s playing great.

“This might take him another year to start playing well again, but everyone is impatient, so it’s a tough thing to grasp for a pro.”

Where will Jack Draper be ranked at the end of 2026?

Will he return to the top 10 or are you predicting him to drop down?

The last British champion in Cincinnati

Andy Murray captured his second and final Cincinnati Open title in 2011.

The British superstar, who went on to win three major titles and two Olympic gold medals, began his 2011 Cincinnati Open campaign with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 2002 Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian.

He then knocked out Alex Bogomolov Jr. and Gilles Simon, setting up a semi-final clash with seventh seed Mardy Fish.

Murray continued his dominant form, triumphing 6-3, 7-6.

In the final, Murray led Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-0 when the Serbian superstar was forced to retire due to injury.

“Obviously when he started to slow down his serve toward the end of the first set it was going to be tough for him,” the Briton said after securing his second title in Ohio, as reported by BBC Sport.

“Sometimes things can warm up when you play, sometimes they get worse. I just tried to stay focused.”

Five years later, Murray returned to the Cincinnati Open final.

Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, defeated Murray in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5.

Murray made his final appearance at the Masters event in 2022.

He beat Stan Wawrinka in the first round, before losing to compatriot Cameron Norrie.

Murray retired from his playing career in 2024.