By Tony Fairbairn
- Casper Ruud [14] def Jack Draper [5] 7-5 3-6 6-4
- Jack Draper has his sights set on more success after a first ATP clay court final.
MADRID, SPAIN – Jack Draper is targeting more clay court success and hopes his three set defeat to Casper Ruud in the Madrid final will motivate him even more.
 |
|---|
It wasn’t to be for Jack Draper on Sunday evening as the British number one lost a tight final to Casper Ruud in three sets.
A frustrating loss for Draper given the fact that he made the perfect start to the match, breaking in the third game for a 2-1 lead.
The British number one wasn’t giving Ruud too many chances on return as he was serving efficiently with power and accuracy.
There were no signs of any threat of a break from the Norwegian but the former Roland Garros finalist only needed one chance and that’s what happened in the tenth game.
A lack of concentration from Draper saw Ruud convert both of his break point opportunities, breaking on two consecutive occasions to claim the opening set 7-5.
It was a change in momentum that didn’t go down too well with Draper as he was fuming at the change of ends.
Luckily for the Brit there was still time to put things right and that’s what he was aiming to do in the second set as he continued to apply the pressure on return.
Although Ruud was very aggressive on serve, Draper capitalised on a faltering Norwegian towards the end of the set as he broke on two consecutive occasions to level the match at one set all.
The theme of the match certainly pointed to Draper being able to win the contest as he was the player who took more risks in the important moments.
However that didn’t continue in the final set as Draper was rather wasteful on return with Ruud increasing his level of play.
After saving two break points, Ruud broke on his fifth break point of the set to seal the dagger blow and broke for a 3-2 lead.
That was never really under threat as some powerful forehands secured victory for Ruud with the Norwegian securing his maiden Masters 1000 title.
After the match Draper praised Ruud’s level as he spoke glowingly about the Norwegian’s quality of tennis.
“I didn’t feel like his level really dropped off, apart from maybe a couple of double faults he threw in,” Draper analysed to the ATP website.
“Whereas [my level at] a couple of stages in the match just dipped a little bit, and that was the difference. You can’t do that, especially at this level against that kind of calibre of player, especially on the clay.
“I thought there was a lot of good stuff, but just in a couple of key moments, I felt like his level maintained and mine maybe just dipped off a little bit.”
 |
|---|
Draper hopes latest defeat can add fuel to season
Despite a tough defeat in the final it was a successful tournament for Draper who reached his second Masters 1000 of the year and his career.
As a result of his work this week, Draper is now into the world’s top five surpassing Novak Djokovic in the rankings.
After his loss Draper said he is hoping this latest defeat can add ‘fuel to the fire’ as he reflected on his year so far.
“Of course, just fresh off losing a really tough match in a final, it really hurts,” Draper told the ATP website.
“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.
“I’m really proud of the way I’ve been the first few months of this season. I think the exciting thing is there’s so much more to come from myself. I feel like there’s still areas of my game that I can really improve, and that’s very motivating for me and my coach and my team.
“I honestly feel like I’m at the start of my journey, so I’m going to keep on improving and keep on pushing hard and keep these sort-of tough moments in my head to keep on driving myself to be better.”
As well as the importance this had on his season and ranking, this was also a massive step forward for Draper in terms of his clay court development.
This was his first ATP tour level final on clay as he continued to show his versatility and how he is adding new things to his game.
The Brit spoke about his clay court evolution and how he hopes that this is just the start of better things to come on the surface.
“Coming here I felt really good on the court. I’m learning how to slide into the ball better. I suppose just very proud of the way my mindset is on the clay,” Draper claimed to the ATP website.
“Maybe Andy [Murray] was the same, because he did obviously so well on the clay courts as well, but it’s easy from someone from, say, the U.K. who doesn’t play much on the surface to think, ‘Oh, I’m not great on this. I’m not going to be any good’.
“I know that it’s going to be a challenge for me, but I’m going to give it my best effort to do well on it and find ways to be effective. I’m proud of the way I’ve approached that, and I think with that mindset, you can go a long way. I’m very proud of that and breaking new ground.”
Next up for Draper is the Masters 1000 event in Rome which starts this week.
How to Watch/Follow Madrid 2025
| Live Stream | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required
TennisTV <- Subscription Required |
| Live Scores | Tennis Scores Powered By TNNSLIVE |
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |