- Draper played the tournament of his life, culminating in thrashing of Holger Rune
- The world No 7 will now fly to Miami to attempt to do so-called Double Sunshine
Like evil, sharks and New York City the tennis tour never sleeps, and so Jack Draper had little time to celebrate the biggest title of his career.
‘Maybe I’ll have a drink on you guys,’ the newly-minted world No 7 joked to a small group of British journalists on Monday night after winning the title at Indian Wells. ‘I’ll go out for a meal with my team – I definitely won’t be going to the Nest.’
Palm Springs’ notorious nightclub will have to wait for another day because Draper will fly straight on to Miami, where he will this week begin his attempt to do the so-called Sunshine Double.
That seems highly unlikely but it is becoming unwise to rule anything out where this impressive 23-year-old is concerned.
His draw looked imposing at this event which many consider the most prestigious outside the majors. Draper faced 18-year-old sensation Joao Fonseca in the first round followed by three American home favourites. He beat them all without dropping a set, then took out two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz and on Sunday night thrashed Holger Rune 6-2, 6-2 to claim the title.
Draper described it as his ‘coming of age’ but the relentless nature of this sport means there is always another challenge ahead. He has worked his way up the hierarchy of tennis events, winning a 250 in Stuttgart, then a 500 in Vienna and now a Masters 1000. All that is missing is a Grand Slam. Does he believe he can do it?
Jack Draper has had little time to celebrate his Indian Wells success following the biggest win of his career
The world No 7 will now jet off to Miami as he tries to win the so-called Double Sunshine
Draper, pictured next to Emma Raducanu, is also targeting success in the sport’s Grand Slams
‘It’s something I’m working towards,’ he said. ‘It’s different in the Slams, it’s five sets, but I’m definitely believing more and more I can compete consistently against top players in the world. I feel like I belong completely.
‘It’s a huge goal of mine to win a Slam but I know to get there all I have to do is keep on working, keep on believing in myself. I definitely believe I’m going to have the chance to hopefully be on that big stage.’
To a casual observer, Draper’s progress over the last 10 months or so has looked as serene as a duck floating across a lake but there has been some furious paddling beneath the surface.
‘There’s a lot of things that can still improve in my game, which is really exciting,’ he said. ‘I feel like a lot of players are maxed out in some ways. I’ve still got a lot to work on and a lot to uncover with my tennis.’
The rapidity of his development is remarkable. A right hander who plays leftie, his double-handed backhand has always come more naturally than the serve and forehand. On his previous visit to Indian Wells, he said, his serve was ‘all over the place’; the last time he played Alcaraz ‘with the forehand I couldn’t hit the skin off a rice pudding’. Well, against Rune he won 92 per cent of points on the first serve and bullied his opponent around the court with a forehand that was like prime Rafael Nadal.
‘I want to be a great player and achieve amazing things in this sport but my main goal is to keep on improving and keep on knuckling down,’ said Draper. ‘I know there is a long way ahead of me. I’m very ambitious. I don’t want to just stop here.’
