Jack Draper has been mightily impressive in 2025 and is set to play in his second Masters 1000 final of the year in Madrid.
The British number one won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells when Draper beat Holger Rune, 6-2, 6-2, in the final.
Rediscovering that form in Madrid, Draper has scored several impressive victories on his way to the final.
Tallon Griekspoor, Matteo Berrettini, Tommy Paul, Matteo Arnaldi, and Lorenzo Musetti all failed to take a set off the Brit as he eased his way into Sunday’s championship match.
Draper will now take on Casper Ruud, who overcame an injury to beat Francisco Cerundolo in his semi-final match.
Ahead of the final, one former ATP star has shared his thoughts on something Draper has done recently, which he didn’t expect.
Brad Gilbert says he ‘had no idea’ Jack Draper could play this well on clay courts
Taking to X, Coco Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert gave his verdict on the 23-year-old ahead of his second career Masters 1000 final.
“Live ATP Ranking, what a surge up the ATP Tour rankings this year from mad man [Jack] Draper and an opportunity Sunday to win his second Masters 1000 vs [Casper Ruud], should be a very interesting matchup,” he said.
“Had no idea that Jack Draper had this level on [clay].”
Draper has risen to fifth in the Live ATP rankings and will be ranked higher than 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic on Monday.
| Rank | Name | Age | Points |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | 23 | 9,730 |
| 2 | Alexander Zverev | 28 | 8,085 |
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz | 21 | 7,850 |
| 4 | Taylor Fritz | 27 | 4,815 |
| 5 | Jack Draper | 23 | 4,440 |
| 6 | Novak Djokovic | 37 | 4,130 |
| 7 | Alex de Minaur | 26 | 3,635 |
| 8 | Lorenzo Musetti | 23 | 3,550 |
| 9 | Holger Rune | 22 | 3,440 |
| 10 | Casper Ruud | 26 | 3,365 |
A win for the 23-year-old in the final against Ruud would see him trail world number four Taylor Fritz by just 25 points, a gap he’d be confident of closing down before too long.
Gilbert said he had ‘no idea’ Draper could perform at this level on clay, and that was a fair assumption considering the Brit’s lack of success on the surface during his career to date.
Before 2025, Draper had won just nine matches on clay, a tally he is already close to surpassing this year.
- 2025 clay court wins – 6*
- 2024 clay court wins – 5
- 2023 clay court wins – 3
- 2022 clay court wins – 1
With the Italian Open and French Open still to come, it wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to see Draper reach double-digit wins on clay for the first time in 2025.
What has Jack Draper said about clay courts in 2025?
During the Monte-Carlo Masters, Draper spoke candidly about his clay-court development.
“I feel like I’ve been transitioning well to the clay, been working really hard to look for my forehand and do all of the right things to be effective on this surface,” he said.
“I’ve struggled a little bit in the last couple of years, but I’m really hoping this year with my new tennis that I can have a good run.”
Entering Sunday’s final with a 2025 record of 6-1 (86%) on clay, Draper has certainly had a ‘good run’ this year.
His only defeat on the surface came in a three-set thriller at the Monte-Carlo Masters when Draper lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.
It remains to be seen if Ruud can become the second player to beat Draper on clay this year, but it’ll certainly be worth tuning in for.
Ruud and Draper will battle it out for the 2025 Madrid Open title on Sunday, May 4.
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