John McEnroe backs Wimbledon star for SW19 glory: 'There's nothing he can't do!'

World number three Alexander Zverev lost his match to Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech after their game was delayed until the following day due to the controversial 11pm curfew.

Recent French Open victor Coco Gauff suffered defeat in straight sets, whereas last year’s finalist Jasmine Paolini also fell to an early exit.

Britain’s athletes, however, have performed admirably well.

Emma Raducanu progressed to the third round, where she faces world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Friday, and Sonay Kartal progressed comfortably to the third round too.

Dan Evans also tasted success in his first-round tie, although he fell to a noble defeat against seven-time champion Novak Djokovic on Thursday on Centre Court.

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Jack Draper also beat Sebastian Baez with alarming ease, 6-2, 6-2, 2-1, before the Argentine’s retirement, and it is the 23-year-old who is the subject of high praise from seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe.

The 66-year-old has backed him as one of the real favourites to go all the way, particularly with some major names already exiting the tournament.

Speaking on the BBC, McEnroe explained the stature and growth of Draper as a key factor: “I’m very impressed with Jack Draper. I knew that he had a lot of talent, I didn’t realise he was that good an athlete.

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“He’s really developed into a force. He is seeded four, he’s four in the world, so to me, he’s the fourth favourite, without a doubt.”

Draper’s toughest opponents include defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who has already progressed to the third round after his commanding victory over British qualifier Oliver Tarvet, world no 1 Jannick Sinner and a little-known Novak Djokovic, seven-time champion.

McEnroe believes a match-up with some of tennis’s very best would be an “exciting” spectacle.

He continued: “I think on this surface, he could play against anybody. Sinner’s not quite as comfortable on this surface as he is on the other surfaces.

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“With Alcaraz, it would certainly be exciting if those two played. So he’s absolutely put himself in the mix, which is going to add to the pressure.

“He doesn’t have to deal with those guys until the semis. That’s all you can ask for. I think he’s getting very close. I don’t think that he’s lacking anything in his game. There’s nothing he can’t do.”

Draper is taller than all three aforementioned players, and considerably broader, which McEnroe describes as a surprise given his “tiny” stature when the pair first met.

He explained: “He was 14, he was like 5ft 1. The guy was tiny, so he had to work on everything, as all 14-year-olds do.

“He obviously had a lot of talent, you could see that. But I wasn’t quite sure why he was even there, to be honest.

“I’m not sure how tall his mum is, or exactly how tall his dad is. I didn’t see that happening, where now it’s: ‘Oh, my God, Jesus Christ, this guy’s a physical specimen’.”

Draper continues his Wimbledon campaign against 2017 finalist Marin Cilic on Thursday afternoon.