The common threads between Britain's leading Wimbledon stars

While Katie Boulter and Jack Draper are already known to nan British public, a heavy tally astatine Wimbledon would return their position to different level.

Boulter, 27, and Draper, 22, will beryllium nan nation's starring singles players erstwhile nan Grand Slam tourney starts astatine nan All England Club connected Monday.

Both players beryllium successful career-high world rankings and spell into nan pinnacle of nan British grass-court play having precocious won titles connected nan surface.

The communal threads betwixt Boulter and Draper don't extremity there.

Both players will beryllium seeded astatine Wimbledon for nan first time, a reward for their good advancement complete caller months.

The starring 32 players are fixed a Grand Slam seeding, meaning they cannot look different seed until nan 3rd round.

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

That was her 2nd trophy of nan play aft winning nan biggest title of her profession successful San Diego successful March.

"I do consciousness I'm playing really bully tennis and I've changed a batch from past year," said Boulter, who is aiming to spell beyond nan 3rd information for nan first time.

"I've improved a batch arsenic a subordinate and go a batch much consistent."

Draper is 29th successful nan men's rankings, breaking caller crushed by climbing into nan world's apical 30 for nan first time.

Winning his first ATP title successful Stuttgart, positive an eye-catching triumph complete Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz to scope nan Queen's quarter-finals, person propelled him into that position.

"If you want to beryllium a top, apical subordinate successful nan world, you person to backmost up results week by week, time by day," Draper said.

"That's nan adjacent shape for maine now."

Physical issues person held backmost each subordinate and, now mostly fresh and injury-free, they are enjoying nan fruits of difficult labour building up their bodies.

As a teenager, Boulter took a twelvemonth retired because of chronic fatigue syndrome. The information besides impacted her betterment from a accent fracture of her backmost successful 2019.

Last twelvemonth she was capable to play regularly for nan first clip since that debilitating injury, winning her first WTA title successful Nottingham and moving backmost into nan apical 100.

That has been nan catalyst for further occurrence this year.

"A batch of it was getting correct physically - I ever felt I had nan talent," said Boulter.

"My position has changed a lot, too. Once you've been done nan full summertime period, missing Wimbledon and going done nan symptom of that, you don’t return it for granted."

Draper has besides needed to beryllium diligent pinch his body.

On nan backmost of a bid of injuries and mid-match retirements, a enarthrosis problem ended his French Open run past twelvemonth - starring to Draper lamenting being "the feline who's injured a lot".

It besides ruled nan left-hander from Surrey retired of nan full British grass-court season.

"My assemblage was conscionable made of solid astatine that point," Draper reflected.

"I deliberation it was benignant of a blessing successful disguise because ever since I came backmost from those injuries I person been really putting successful awesome work."

When Boulter triumphed successful Nottingham a fortnight ago, her grandad Brian was among nan loved ones celebrating pinch her connected court.

Boulter has often cited nan support of 'Grandpa' and his precocious woman Jill, who died 2 days earlier Boulter's then-biggest profession triumph astatine Wimbledon 2022, arsenic important successful her development.

During nan pandemic, spurred connected by missing seeing her grandparents, Boulter decided to unpaid for Age UK, who she remains an ambassador for.

Draper, too, has worked pinch a kindness adjacent to his heart.

His grandma Brenda has Alzheimer's disease, nan astir communal origin of dementia, and past twelvemonth he teamed up pinch nan Alzheimer's Society to raise consciousness of nan condition.

Although she tin nary longer watch his matches live, her hubby Chris was sat courtside for Draper's triumph complete Alcaraz.

"He's been caring for her for galore years," said Draper.

"My nan can't understand immoderate of nan occurrence I'm having but I deliberation it's giving my grandad a existent logic to support going.

"He says 'I want to beryllium astir to spot you execute arsenic overmuch arsenic you can'. That's a large information for me."

As good arsenic thriving nether nan spotlight connected court, Boulter and Draper look astatine easiness pinch attraction disconnected it.

Glamorous photoshoots pinch stylish manner magazines - teaming up for Tatler past year, while Draper precocious appeared successful Vogue - has shown their entreaty to wider markets.

"I rather bask being successful beforehand of nan camera. If I’m looking good, that is," Draper quipped to Vogue.

The prima value of each subordinate is clear. But, distant from modelling elegant brands, they are keen to talk nan normality of their mundane lives.

Boulter regularly talks astir her narration pinch Australian subordinate Alex de Minaur and says she is simply a "creature of habit".

Draper calls himself a "big family guy", who loves hanging retired pinch his labradoodle Aussie.

Both are besides shot fans. Boulter often shows her beardown allegiance to Leicester City, while Draper follows Manchester United.

England's advancement astatine Euro 2024 will beryllium monitored by nan brace complete nan Wimbledon fortnight - though not intimately if they spell arsenic acold successful SW19 arsenic they hope.