Ron Elkman

'He’s come on leaps and bounds': Andy Roddick pins his thoughts on the next Grand Slam winner outside of the big two

Originally posted on TennisUpToDate.com | By Jack Clucas | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 12:21 PM ET

American tennis icon Andy Roddick has shared his thoughts on who might win the next Grand Slam outside of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Following the thrilling match between Alcaraz and Sinner in the French Open final earlier this month, Roddick has called for someone new to step up and challenge for a Grand Slam title. Between them, Alcaraz and Sinner have claimed the last six Grand Slam trophies, and it’s beginning to feel like the debate over future winners is a closed book. However, former Grand Slam champion Roddick believes that’s far from the case.

While having two dominant players in the sport can be beneficial for exposure and star power, it may not be entirely healthy for the overall state of tennis. Events where multiple players have a realistic shot at winning tend to be more exciting, giving both players and fans a greater sense of unpredictability and anticipation over who can cross the ultimate finish line.

Tennis is in need of a new star to break up the current stranglehold of the top two—and Andy Roddick believes he knows exactly who that could be.

Speaking on the Tennis Channel, Roddick would say: "I love Jack Draper, I think his game is so complete, I think he returns well, he absolutely rips it on forehands, the lefty serve and he can actually do things that bother Carlos and Sinner and I think he can actually grind out enough holds".

“Tracy brings up a great point. I remember playing Andy Murray at Wimbledon and you open up the paper, and the first six pages for that day were everything about Andy, what bar he’s eating in the warm up, it almost becomes stupid, so who knows how he will deal with it".

“I do think it will be easier because Murray got through and won twice; he’s not dealing with the ghosts of history like Murray was, but I love Jack Draper too".

“I had it written here before the odds were shown, I’ve gone for Draper. He’s come on leaps and bounds. The fitness has improved, the backhand was a weakness up until about 18 months ago, now he’s taking swings up the line, and the forehand is next level".

Last year was a frustrating Wimbledon experience for Draper, after suffering the pain of a second-round loss to fellow Brit, Cameron Norrie. Since then, Draper has gained valuable experience and now has a Grand Slam semi-final under his belt, having reached that stage at the US Open last August.

In addition to that, a victory at Indian Wells earlier this year has given Draper the experience of competing—and winning—at a big event, which puts him in great stead heading into SW19 this year. Being a top-four seed could also prove vital, as it means he will avoid facing any of the other top seeds until at least the semi-finals, should he make it that far.

At Queen’s this week, Draper will be hoping to show his quality on grass as he prepares for the big one—Wimbledon—in just a few weeks’ time.

This article first appeared on TennisUpToDate.com and was syndicated with permission.

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