Wimbledon 2024: Katie Boulter and Jack Draper lead British hopes at the All England Club – BBC Sport

While Katie Boulter and Jack Draper are already known to the British public, a deep run at Wimbledon would take their status to another level.

Boulter, 27, and Draper, 22, will be the nation’s leading singles players when the Grand Slam tournament starts at the All England Club on Monday.

Both players sit in career-high world rankings and go into the pinnacle of the British grass-court season having recently won titles on the surface.

The common threads between Boulter and Draper don’t stop there.

Both players will be seeded at Wimbledon for the first time, a reward for their fine progress over recent months.

The leading 32 players are given a Grand Slam seeding, meaning they cannot face another seed until the third round.

Boulter is 32nd in the world rankings having helped consolidate her position by retaining her WTA title in Nottingham earlier this month.

That was her second trophy of the season after winning the biggest title of her career in San Diego in March.

“I do feel I’m playing really good tennis and I’ve changed a lot from last year,” said Boulter, who is aiming to go beyond the third round for the first time.

“I’ve improved a lot as a player and become a lot more consistent.”

Draper is 29th in the men’s rankings, breaking new ground by climbing into the world’s top 30 for the first time.

Winning his first ATP title in Stuttgart, plus an eye-catching win over Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz to reach the Queen’s quarter-finals, have propelled him into that position.

“If you want to be a top, top player in the world, you have to back up results week by week, day by day,” Draper said.

“That’s the next stage for me now.”

Physical issues have held back each player and, now largely fit and injury-free, they are enjoying the fruits of hard labour building up their bodies.

As a teenager, Boulter took a year out because of chronic fatigue syndrome. The condition also impacted her recovery from a stress fracture of her back in 2019.

Last year she was able to play regularly for the first time since that debilitating injury, winning her first WTA title in Nottingham and moving back into the top 100.

That has been the catalyst for further success this year.

“A lot of it was getting right physically – I always felt I had the talent,” said Boulter.

“My perspective has changed a lot, too. Once you’ve been through the whole summer period, missing Wimbledon and going through the pain of that, you don’t take it for granted.”

Draper has also needed to be patient with his body.

On the back of a series of injuries and mid-match retirements, a shoulder problem ended his French Open campaign last year – leading to Draper lamenting being “the guy who’s injured a lot”.

It also ruled the left-hander from Surrey out of the entire British grass-court season.

“My body was just made of glass at that point,” Draper reflected.

“I think it was kind of a blessing in disguise because ever since I came back from those injuries I have been really putting in great work.”

When Boulter triumphed in Nottingham a fortnight ago, her grandad Brian was among the loved ones celebrating with her on court.

Boulter has often cited the support of ‘Grandpa’ and his late wife Jill, who died two days before Boulter’s then-biggest career win at Wimbledon 2022, as crucial in her development.

During the pandemic, spurred on by missing seeing her grandparents, Boulter decided to volunteer for Age UK, who she remains an ambassador for.

Draper, too, has worked with a charity close to his heart.

His grandmother Brenda has Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, and last year he teamed up with the Alzheimer’s Society to raise awareness of the condition.

Although she can no longer watch his matches live, her husband Chris was sitting courtside for Draper’s win over Alcaraz.

“He’s been caring for her for many years,” said Draper.

“My nan can’t understand any of the success I’m having but I think it’s giving my grandad a real reason to keep going.

“He says ‘I want to be around to see you achieve as much as you can’. That’s a big motivation for me.”

As well as thriving under the spotlight on court, Boulter and Draper seem at ease with attention off it.

Glamorous photoshoots with stylish fashion magazines – teaming up for Tatler last year, while Draper recently appeared in Vogue – has shown their appeal to wider markets.

“I quite enjoy being in front of the camera. If I’m looking good, that is,” Draper quipped to Vogue.

The star quality of each player is clear. But, away from modelling elegant brands, they are keen to discuss the normality of their everyday lives.

Boulter regularly talks about her relationship with Australian player Alex de Minaur and says she is a “creature of habit”.

Draper calls himself a “big family guy”, who loves hanging out with his labradoodle Aussie.

Both are also football fans. Boulter often shows her strong allegiance to Leicester City, while Draper follows Manchester United.

England’s progress at Euro 2024 will be monitored by the pair over the Wimbledon fortnight – although not closely if they go as far in SW19 as they hope.