By Tony Fairbairn
- Jack Draper [13] def Holger Rune [12] 6-2 6-2
- Jack Draper has said that he is ‘not done yet’ after claiming his maiden Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, USA – Jack Draper has his eyes set on more success after the Brit claimed his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells.
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Another milestone in Jack Draper’s career has been completed after the British number one thrashed Holger Rune to claim his maiden Masters 1000 title.
It was Draper’s first final at that level but that didn’t seem to faze the 13th seed as he cruised into an early 4-0 lead.
There was irresistible power and finesse with Draper wrapping up the opening set in 30 minutes.
More of the same was produced from Draper in the second set as more attacking and aggressive tennis secured a break in the opening game.
Rune, who has already won a Masters 1000 title, couldn’t get past Draper’s resilient defence with the Brit overcoming tough service games to keep extending his lead.
The final nail in the coffin was in the seventh game when Draper converted his second break point of the game to take a 5-2 lead.
No mistake was made from Draper as he converted his second match point to claim a first Masters 1000 title.
Speaking after the match Draper said that it means the world to him to become champion and knows this is reward for years of hard work and dedication to his craft.
“It means the world to me, honestly, to be able to be a champion here,” Draper told the ATP website.
“It feels incredible to win here. I have been watching this tournament since I was a young guy, watching all the champions play on this big court. Last year I lost here, and I felt so uncomfortable playing here. My serve was really struggling. I didn’t feel like I was in control of the ball, and I lost my way mentally last year.
“So I knew coming here this year is a challenge, not only for me but for a lot of the players. You train every day. You put in all the sacrifice, all the work, the team around you, my family. I have put in years and years and years of working.”
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Draper targets more success after rankings surge
It’s been an incredible tournament for Draper who claims his first Masters 1000 title having defeated Joao Fonseca, Jenson Brooksby, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz before defeating Rune in the final.
Speaking about his run to the title Draper admitted that the match against Alcaraz was a huge turning point for him in what could be another unbelievable season.
“I think yesterday was definitely a big moment for me,” Draper said to the ATP website after his win over the Spaniard in the semi-finals.
“I hadn’t felt that way on the court for a while where I felt like my energy was kind of sapped from the emotions from the match with Carlos and the environment and who I was playing.
“I think that third set yesterday was huge for me, because I came in today knowing this is a final, I might have the same feelings. But in truth, I felt kind of a bit nervous before I played, but then when I got out on the court, I felt amazing.
“I felt like I was in control. I knew what I needed to do. I just went for it and played to win.”
The reward for Draper’s hard work is now a surge up the rankings as he will make his top ten debut at seven in the world.
It’s the highest a Brit has been ranked in singles since Andy Murray in 2017 as he searches to follow in his idol’s footsteps.
Despite the landmark win there is no time to celebrate for Draper as he targets more success in the future.
“I know there is a long way ahead of me. I’m very ambitious. I don’t want to just stop here. I want to keep on going,” Draper claimed to the ATP website.
“[I’m] not really thinking about any outcomes, ranking-wise or events-wise. I feel like I have achieved a lot in the last year, and it’s been nothing to do with setting goals. Setting goals and saying you’re going to do something, it’s important to believe it, but if you’re not putting in the work and putting in the sacrifice and the days of consistency together, then you’re not going to achieve anything.
“Me and my coach, we try waking up each day and approaching practice, approaching everything I do in a very structured way and a very consistent way so that I don’t have many bad days. So when I do maybe have a bad day, my level is still very high.
“So obviously I want to be a great player, and I want to achieve amazing things in this sport, but my main goal is keep on improving and keep on knuckling down.”
The next big goal for Draper will be trying to achieve the sunshine double with the Miami Open kicking off on Wednesday with the Brit’s first match is expected to take place on the Friday or Saturday.
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