British No.1 Jack Draper believes his climb into the top 10 in the world is richly deserved after he claimed a statement-making win at Indian Wells on Sunday.
Draper, who only turned 23 in December, stunned two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in Saturday’s semi-final to set up a meeting with Holger Rune for the title. He despatched the Dane in straight sets, winning 6-2, 6-2 in California.
The Brit knew he would climb into the world’s top 10 before stepping out on court against Rune. However, his victory takes him as high as seventh in the world.
It was a first Masters 1000 final for Draper, who also beat world number four Taylor Fritz earlier in the tournament. He continues to break new gound in his young career after reaching a maiden Grand Slam semi-final in the 2024 US Open and he reflected on the latest triumph moments after sealing victory.
“It’s incredible,” Draper said. “I wasn’t expecting this, I put in a lot of work over time and I’m just so, so grateful and so happy to be out here, to be able to play, my body feeling healthy, to feel great in the mind.
“Just all the work I’ve done over the last few years feels like it’s coming together on the biggest stage and I can’t put that into words. I feel like I deserve it in all honesty, the amount of adversity I’ve been through, the amount of sacrifices, the amount of time that people around me have put into me and the hard work.
“It’s an emotional feeling to know how much you’ve gone through and put in. To be here now to say that I’m going to be No. 7 in the world tomorrow, I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
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AFP via Getty Images)
Rune, who was playing in his fourth Masters final, beat fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in the semis. He couldn’t follow it up with a win in the final, though, and was emotional as he spoke on stage after the defeat.
“I have to say thank you to my family back home. They mean everything to me, and yeah… thank you guys, see you next year,” Rune said, tearing up on stage as he ended the interview.
After breaking his Masters duck and reaching a new career high ranking, Draper’s next target may well be a first Grand Slam final. He put in a career-best run at the Australian Open in January, reaching the fourth round, but has never got beyond the first round at the next slam in the calendar at Roland Garros.
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