Jack Draper admits what was really unusual about his own performance against Carlos Alcaraz after defeat in Italy

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Jack Draper has finally exited the Italian Open, losing his quarter-final encounter with Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz is into an 11th ATP Masters semi-final after knocking out Draper, triumphing 6-4, 6-4 in their highly-anticipated meeting.

Spanish superstar Alcaraz now takes on home favourite Lorenzo Musetti in the Italian Open semi-finals in Rome.

Draper drew praise from Jannik Sinner amid his run at the ATP Masters 1000 event, where the Italian remains.

Top seed and world number one Sinner takes on Casper Ruud in their quarter-final, with the Norwegian having recently won the Madrid Open.

Jack Draper says what was unusual about his Italian Open display vs Carlos Alcaraz

He beat Draper in the final in Spain earlier this month, with the Briton now doing his utmost to evaluate his latest performance.

Asked how he can find the right balance between his frustration making him better and overwhelming him, Draper replied: “I think today I was a little bit negative in general.

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“Usually I’m not so negative. But I think it’s one of my biggest strengths, the competitor I am. Even if I’m angry, even if I’m not feeling good or negative, I still try my best for every point I think.

“It’s an area that I’m continually working on and trying to get better. It’s going to take time. Like, I’m a year-and-a-half, year-and-three-quarters into being on the tour full-time.

“It takes a lot of getting used to. I recorded my 100th win this weekend. I thought that was a lot until I saw how many wins these other top boys have. They have 300. It’s very different.

“The more time I get on the tour, the more exposure to these top players on the highest levels, biggest stages, it’s only going to help me become a complete player more mentally.”

Jack Draper admits struggles after Italian Open loss to Carlos Alcaraz

Draper can hold his head high after another strong showing on clay, having been beaten only by a hugely talented player in Alcaraz.

But the Briton may not be happy with his temperament, having smashed his racket during his victory over Vit Kopriva.

READ MORE: The Italian Open slammed for ‘absolutely disgraceful’ decision they have made involving Casper Ruud

Overall, however, it is certainly another step in the right direction for the 23-year-old, who currently occupies fifth place in the ATP rankings, a career high.

But a very busy season is now catching up with the British number one, who said after losing to Alcaraz: “I’ve been playing the last four weeks now pretty much.

“I don’t want to think about it or admit it, but probably it has a big effect I think on not just today but throughout the week.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit, like I said, to maintain my quality all throughout the matches. Today against someone like that, you can’t have those dips in your standards because you get punished.

“I think, yeah, definitely has something. At the end of the day that’s not why I lost today. I lost to a better player.”