By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday Might 4, 2025
Jack Draper, top-notch clay-courter? You wouldn’t have heard many pundits make the proclamation previous to his run to the Madrid remaining, however now that the 23-year-old Brit has turned in his finest ever efficiency on the pink clay, many are satisfied that we’re seeing the start of Draper’s rise on the floor.
He was 10-12 lifetime on the floor previous to this week, however after powering into the ultimate of the Madrid Masters the times of sub-optimal clay-court outcomes may very well be effectively and actually within the rearview.
Most essential, Draper himself believes the narrative.
“I simply wanted to get my foot within the door someplace to point out that I will compete to a extremely excessive degree on this floor,” mentioned Draper.
After notching his first profession High-20 wins on the floor, Draper thinks he’s simply on the tip of the iceberg.
“I believe this week has proven that, and it is proven it to myself, proven it to others,” he mentioned, including that he nonetheless has loads of room for progress. “I believe nonetheless the largest optimistic I am taking away is the truth that I am nonetheless studying how one can transfer and play on this floor, and I am proper there. I am competing with, you understand, one of the best clay courters, one of the best guys on this floor on the earth.
“I take massive encouragement from that, and I hope that I can keep on that subsequent week in Rome, [then at] the French.”
Victorious Casper Ruud mentioned what many people have been pondering whereas on the rostrum after his 7-5 3-6 6-4 win over Draper in Sunday’s remaining.
“What a participant you might be, already at a younger age, the participant you have turn into on all surfaces,” Ruud mentioned. “You are a menace to everybody now – does not matter the place, does not matter when – I believe sky is the restrict for you. Fortunately it was my day at present.”
“What a participant you might be, already at a younger age, the participant you have turn into on all surfaces. You are a menace to everybody now – does not matter the place, does not matter when – I believe sky is the restrict for you. Fortunately it was my day at present.” pic.twitter.com/NRiYyohmb0
— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) May 4, 2025
Draper says that having success on clay may free him up on the sooner surfaces, the place he has traditionally been much more deadly. It definitely has performed wonders for his rating. The Brit will enter the High-5 in Monday’s ATP rating, because the fourth British man to ever be part of that elite group.
“I believe that offers me additionally massive confidence going into possibly a floor that is a bit sooner, which I take pleasure in extra,” he mentioned. “To assume, ‘Wow, I am doing this on the clay, what can I take out onto the opposite surfaces as effectively.’”
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