The eight moments that made Jack Draper one of the world’s best as Brit star soars from
As Jack Draper begins his first event as the new world No 5 here in Rome, Mail Sport takes a look at seven key matches which have carried him from injury-prone kid to the top of the game…
1. 2023 French Open, first round, Tomas Martin Etcheverry bt Draper 6-4, 1-0 retired
One of the bleakest days of Draper’s career. Hobbled by a shoulder injury, he was so desperate to avoid retiring that he resorted to serving underarm.
Eventually he succumbed to the pain – the 12th retirement of a career which had been riddled with injury ever since a teenage growth spurt.
Would he ever stay fit? Was he working hard enough? Was he really cut out for this sport? Those questions were asked not just from outside but within the darkness of Draper’s own mind.
‘I feel mentally destroyed,’ he said. ‘I hate being the guy who is injured a lot.’
Draper asked himself those hard questions and came up with a hard answer: it was time to dedicate his entire being to tennis.
Jack Draper’s retirement at 2023 French Open marked one of the bleakest days of his career
The shock withdrawal forced Draper to contend with his often-ailing body and begin rebuilding
2. 2024 Miami Masters, second round, Nicholas Jarry bt Draper 7-6, 4-6, 7-6
This was the first of three almost identical matches. A month later Draper lost in a third-set tiebreak to Hubert Hurkacz in Monte Carlo. A week later, another shootout loss to Taylor Fritz.
All close matches against higher-ranked opponents who were at least 6ft 5in tall. Every time in the deciding tiebreak Draper was blown away: 7-2, 7-2, 7-1.
When I interviewed Draper’s coach James Trotman at the end of last year, he said: ‘Having those matches back-to-back was the best thing that happened to him.
‘It was that lightbulb moment for Jack to say, “OK, that’s enough. I’m OK to lose to these guys but I’m going to lose playing on my terms”.’
Draper himself said whenever he faced fellow big guys, he felt like he was 5ft 9in. After these three defeats he resolved to play like the strapping 6ft 4in man he is: the bullied became the bully.
A sobering experience in Miami in 2024 saw Draper look to bully his opponents – not vice versa
3. 2024 Stuttgart final, Draper bt Berrettini 3-6, 7-6, 6-4
Draper’s determination to play a more assertive style game to fruition on the grass of Stuttgart, where he blitzed his way to the final with a barrage of aces.
In the final he came from a set down to defeat a player who had won 27 of his previous 30 matches on grass.
The first title of his career was a transformational moment. ‘There was such a bee in my bonnet about winning an ATP event,’ said Draper. ‘To get the title set me free of negative emotions and a lot of the pressure I’ve been putting on myself.’
Almost as important as the title – and the aggression with which it was won – was the fact that four out of his five wins came via a deciding set.
Before Stuttgart, Draper’s ATP Tour record in three-set matches was a woeful five wins and 15 defeats. This title run was another sign that his body was becoming hardened to the rigours of the tour.
The British No1 claimed his first senior ATP title on grass at the Stuttgart Open last summer
After defeating Matteo Berrettini, the then-22-year-old wave release some of his pressure
4. 2024, Queen’s Club, last 16, Draper bt Carlos Alcaraz 7-6, 6-3
Continuing his new ultra-aggressive style, as espoused by the latest addition to his team, former world No6 Wayne Ferreira, earned the standout victory of his career to date.
In the sunshine at Queen’s club, in front of his beloved grandfather Chris, he destroyed defending champion and world No2 Alcaraz.
It was a profound moment. Draper had a marquee victory on home turf and a win to prove that his determination to chase down Alcaraz and Sinner was not mere bravado.
He could tangle with the very best in the world.
Draper chased the Stuttgart win with an appearance on home turf at Queen’s in west London
Coming up against a friend and rival in Carlos Alcaraz, Draper had his first chance to show off his re-honed game against the best in the sport
5. 2025 Australian Open, third round, Draper bt Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6
Draper was not in a good way Down Under. His pre-season had been ruined by a hip injury; a planned training camp with Alcaraz had been cancelled.
He arrived in Australia for his first event of the year still nursing pain in the same joint which did for Andy Murray.
He was horribly rusty and never at any stage of the tournament looked to be striking the ball well. ‘Bang average,’ is how he described his tennis.
But for three matches in a row he recovered from two-sets-to-one down to win in five, culminating in this epic defeat of an inspired Vukic, the Aussie urged on by a baying crowd.
‘One thing that always scared me was the thought of pushing my body through long matches,’ Draper admitted.
‘Those matches – four hours, four hours, four hours – were so good for me mentally, emotionally, physically. I know I can do that. I know I’m strong.’
Tensions unleashed on court as Draper smashed his racket mid-match during his tussle with home favourite Aleksandar Vukic
But triumphing over four hours and five sets Draper was able to truly test his rusty body
6. 2025 Indian Wells semi-final, Draper bt Alcaraz 6-1, 0-6, 6-4
The win against Alcaraz at Queen’s was seismic but there remained the caveat that the Spaniard had only recently returned from partying in Ibiza to celebrate his French Open title.
This was different: Alcaraz was seeking a third consecutive title in the desert, on a court which fits his game like a glove.
And yet, again, Draper beat him. It was an emotionally turbulent match, with Alcaraz coming out flat and then Draper becoming tense and drained of energy. The 23-year-old roused himself to play a flawless final set.
The most telling aspect of the match was something Alcaraz said afterwards, in explanation of his terrible start.
‘I was worrying too much about his game than myself,’ he said. The fact that a four-time Grand Slam champion was burdened by fear of Draper’s game showed how his star had risen, how his dressing-room presence had grown.
He went on to destroy Holger Rune in the final to win his first Masters 1000 title.
In his next meeting with Alcaraz, Draper was now the one who instilled fear in his opponent
The 23-year-old battled past the Spaniard and then Holger Rune to claim his first Masters title
7. 2025 Madrid Open semi-final, Draper bt Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6
The performance that showed Draper was an all-surface threat. Musetti is a superb clay court operator but, in the first set at least, he was tossed around the court like a rag doll.
Draper struggled on clay last year and looked a fish out of water in defeat by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Monte Carlo. Yet he has always insisted his game suits clay and this run proved him right.
As a kid down at Sutton Tennis Club, Draper would wear sleeveless tops to be like his idol and fellow leftie Rafael Nadal.
In Madrid his forehand was genuinely reminiscent of the great man, with its blend of spin and pace. Draper was outlasted in the final by Casper Ruud but ended the fortnight as world No5.
He can’t stay fit. He’s too defensive. He can’t last five-sets. He can’t beat the very best. He can’t play on clay. One by one, Jack Draper has answered all those doubts, all the doubters.
Like his predecessor Murray, he is clearly motivated by proving people wrong. So let’s try something…
He’ll never win Wimbledon. Gone on Jack, prove us wrong.
Draper has been largely untested on clay but proved no surface is an obstacle as he pulled off a strong semi-final win against specialist Lorenzo Musetti
Redecorating Pietrangelli court
This is my first visit to Rome’s iconic Foro Italico, renowned as one of the most beautiful tennis venues in the world. The jewel in its crown is the Nicola Pietrangeli stadium, a sunken court hewn from stone and guarded on all sides by Greco-Roman statues.
Having marvelled at it so many times on TV, imagine my horror to arrive and see the Italian Open has added six new stands above ground, which dwarf the statues and mar the magnificent vista.
The increased capacity means more people will be able to enjoy the tennis on that wonderful court, which can never really be a bad thing, but surely there was a more elegant solution? You would think of all the cities in the world, Rome would appreciate the value of tradition.
The Italian Open’s Pietrangeli stadium is one of the most beautiful on the international circuit
But a new design this year to increase capacity has robbed the court of its historic charm
Casper Ruud, a worthy winner
As much as British fans will have been willing Jack Draper to beat Casper Ruud in the Madrid Open final, it would take a hard heart not to be happy for the jovial Norwegian. After six straight defeats in finals at Masters level and above he finally got one.
The 26-year-old has struggled with his mental health recently, and when he saw a video on X of Iga Swiatek in tears under a towel after her thrashing by Coco Gauff in Madrid, he posted: ‘Keep your head up. Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today but you inspire so many and you’ll be back stronger than ever!’
That was a few days before his title. Sometimes what you put out into the world comes back to you.
Although Casper Ruud had to beat Draper to do it, there are few who would begrudge the Norwegian his maiden Masters title
Victoria Mboko remains a promising prospect after qualifying for the Italian Open on Tuesday
One to (keep) watch(ing): Victoria Mboko, Canada, 18
A second appearance in One to Watch for the teenager. In February we flagged up her incredible start to the season, with 44 consecutive sets won in a row at ITF level. ‘How long can she keep winning?’ we asked, ‘And how long until we see her on the WTA Tour?’
The answer to the first question was: not much longer (she lost her next match); and to the second: very soon indeed.
A fifth ITF title of the season in Porto earned her a wildcard into Miami and she won her first ever WTA-level match, before narrowly losing out to former world No2 Paula Badosa.
Two wins from two on Billie Jean King Cup debut followed and on Tuesday she qualified for the main draw here in Rome. Things are happening fast for this explosive talent.