Jack Draper won’t be playing at the 2024 Eastbourne International after finding success at the 2024 Cinch Championships by making the quarter-final.
The British player had big plans for this year’s grass season, but he’s forced to change some of those because of recent success. Draper signed up to play all of the grass events leading up to Wimbledon, but he’s dropping the third event from his schedule.
Draper was supposed to play in Eastbourne after playing in Stuttgart and Queen’s, but he won’t play in Eastbourne, because he had a really good time at both events. Players sign up for tournaments without knowing how far they may get, and that’s why they are sometimes forced to change their plans afterward.
The Stuttgart Open was an amazing experience for Draper, as he won his maiden ATP trophy at the event, and the good play is persisting at the Queen’s Club as well.
Draper won his first match easily and then added a win over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to make the quarter-final of the ATP 500 tournament in the British capital.
Given how well he’s been playing, there is a fairly decent chance that Draper could go all the way in Queen’s as well, and playing in Eastbourne wouldn’t be a sensible decision then, especially with Wimbledon right after that.
He’s having enough practice time on the grass ahead of Wimbledon, and taking that week off to recover in time for Wimbledon is more important. His next opponent at the Queen’s Club Championships is Tommy Paul, who will provide another test for him on the green surface.
Right now, Draper is on a seven-match winning streak and looks extremely confident in his level. He also has the backing of the home crowd. In the Brit’s absence, other players will attend the event, such as Taylor Fritz, Kei Nishikori, and Tommy Paul.
