Jack Draper has enjoyed a strong start to his 2025 ATP Tour campaign and is now ranked inside the world’s top ten.
The British number one took home the biggest title of his career last month when Draper beat Holger Rune to win Indian Wells.
Draper’s win saw him break into the world’s top ten, and he currently resides in sixth place, the highest ranking of any male Brit since Andy Murray.
Travelling to Europe for the Monte-Carlo Masters, some questioned whether the 23-year-old’s performances would translate onto clay courts.
Scoring a dominant win in his opening match, Draper has already answered some of those questions, as he now gives his honest opinion on the surface.
Jack Draper admits he’s ‘struggled’ on clay before but thinks he’s ‘transitioned well’ in 2025
Draper beat America’s Marcus Giron in the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters, 6-1, 6-1, securing just his second career victory in the principality.
Speaking after the match, Draper shared his thoughts on the surface he’ll be playing on over the next few months.
“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.”
The Brit then assessed the court conditions in Monte-Carlo, following his dominant win.
“Not easy conditions here; sometimes it’s lively, sometimes it’s a bit slower, obviously playing a bit later,” said Draper.
Draper also said he is aware that there will be a target on his back now, following his breakthrough into the world’s top ten.
“I’m obviously growing in confidence, more experiences, it’s obviously a bit of an adjustment,” he said.
“Last year coming here I was 40-odd in the world, now I’m number six, so it’s been an amazing year but I want to keep up the hard work.
“I know people are going to be after me, that’s for sure, so I’m ready to keep on competing really hard and trying to put my tennis out on the court.”
What was Jack Draper’s record on clay courts in 2024?
Having won a title on grass and two on hard courts, clay remains the only surface on which Draper has yet to succeed.
In 2024, Draper competed in seven clay court tournaments, winning five matches.
| Tournament | Round | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 2024 Paris Olympics | 2R | Taylor Fritz | Loss | 7-6, 3-6, 2-6 |
| 2024 Paris Olympics | 1R | Kei Nishikori | Win | 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2024 French Open | 1R | Jesper De Jong | Loss | 5-7, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 3-6 |
| 2024 Geneva Open | 1R | Tomas Machac | Loss | 6-7, 1-6 |
| 2024 Italian Open | 2R | Daniil Medvedev | Loss | 5-7, 4-6 |
| 2024 Italian Open | 1R | Borna Coric | Win | 7-5, 6-1 |
| 2024 Madrid Open | 2R | Hubert Hurkacz | Loss | 1-6, 5-7 |
| 2024 Madrid Open | 1R | Thanasi Kokkinakis | Win | 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 |
| 2024 Munich Open | QF | Taylor Fritz | Loss | 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 |
| 2024 Munich Open | 2R | Rudolf Molleker | Win | 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 |
| 2024 Munich Open | 1R | Vit Kopriva | Win | 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 |
| 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters | 1R | Hubert Hurkacz | Loss | 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 |
Draper’s best 2024 clay performance came in Munich when he narrowly lost out to Taylor Fritz in a third-set tiebreaker.
Prior to 2024, Draper had won just four ATP Tour matches on clay courts.
- 2023 Lyon Open 2R – Jack Draper beat Miomir Kecmanovic, 6-4, 7-5
- 2023 Lyon Open 1R – Jack Draper beat Alexandre Muller, 6-2, 6-3
- 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters 1R – Jack Draper beat Sebastian Baez, 6-3, 7-5
- 2022 Madrid Open 1R – Jack Draper beat Lorenzo Sonego, 6-4, 6-3
Securing his tenth career win on clay against Giron, Draper will no doubt feel confident ahead of his third round match.
Draper will take on the winner of Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his next match.
The Argentine and Spaniard will play on Wednesday, April 9, before the winner faces off against Draper on Thursday, April 10.
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