You can call it a success for Jack Draper despite his finals loss in Madrid over the weekend. If you ask him, he'll call it a success that will hopefully pave the way for better things to come as the season progresses. Draper leaves Spain without a title, but he does gain a significant win in the ATP rankings: a rise to No.5, surpassing Novak Djokovic along the way.
After falling to Casper Ruud in three sets (7-5, 3-6, 6-4), Draper watched and congratulated Ruud as he picked up his first title for the season. With the win, Ruud also moved eight spots up in the rankings to No. 7. It was a career highlight for Ruud, but the Madrid Open was also an accomplishment for his opponent, Draper.
The Brit took the BNP Paribas Open title in Indian Wells earlier in the year, his first Masters 1000 claim, but fell shy of capturing his second in Madrid. With the Italian Open about to kick off in Rome this week, Draper will again compete for a chance at another title.
Indian Wells to Madrid to Rome, Jack Draper adding fuel to the fire
Draper's run in Indian Wells was no cakewalk, and neither was Madrid. Draper had to go through Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz, and Holger Rune in the finals in California. All four opponents were top-15-ranked players.
The tough slate of opponents continued in Madrid, featuring Tommy Paul, Lorenzo Musetti, and Ruud to cap it off. Draper overcame all except one, resulting in a 19-5 record on the season and the one title, of course.
However, based on his post-final press conference, Draper's run in Madrid didn't leave him overly down. Instead, he exited one clay tournament and headed for another with confidence and excitement in his game.
“Of course, just fresh off losing a really tough match in a final, it really hurts,” said Draper. “But at the same time, I think I've enjoyed a lot of really good successes here. I've come through a lot of matches, and so maybe this loss, and maybe being in a final and not quite getting over the line, just helps me to fuel my fire a bit more that I need to keep on pushing, I need to keep on improving.
As Draper's incredible season moves on, Rome looms ahead. There, he looks to continue his success on clay, a surface he admits is not his best. Possible meet-ups feature Alcaraz and two-time event champion Alexander Zverev, who are in Draper's half of the draw.