Jack Draper reacted to the comments Carlos Alcaraz made about him after their Indian Wells semi-final.
The Spaniard seemed to rediscover his best form at Indian Wells after easing through his matches without dropping a set.
But his quest for a third successive Indian Wells title was halted by Draper, who handed Alcaraz just his third career loss at the Masters 1000 event.
This was also Draper’s second career victory over the 21-year-old, which has ensured he will enter the ATP Tour’s top 10 on Monday.
Jack Draper responds to Carlos Alcaraz’s comments about him at Indian Wells
Jack Draper secured his spot in the Indian Wells final with a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 victory over Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion.
He was able to find his best tennis when he needed it most in the final set of a topsy-turvy encounter, to compete for his first title of the season against Holger Rune. Post-match Alcaraz told reporters that he attributed his loss partly down to being worried about Draper’s level of play.
Asked what he thought of his comments, Draper said: “Yeah, it’s a big compliment. Obviously that and testament and obviously to the way I have been playing. Before I play Carlos, there is always doubts, as well.
“For every player, every player I play at this level I’m always fearful I’m going to lose, and I think that gives me a big competitive edge that I feel on edge all the time, because I know how well these guys play. Especially when you’re playing top players in the world, you know, belief is a big thing.
“You know, a lot of the times I’m sure players go on court and believe they can’t win against top players. You know, I have played Carlos a few times now, and, you know, I have watched him on the TV the whole of this week, and I thought that he’s playing incredible tennis, but I did believe that I could at least cause him some problems today with the way I have been playing.
“Then obviously at the start of the match I was a bit — I was expecting him to come out playing incredible, but obviously there was a few errors here and there, and his energy was a bit low. It was just a crazy match.”
Jack Draper set to compete for first Masters 1000 title against Holger Rune
Draper is one match away from winning the first Masters 1000 title of his career.
Standing in his way is Holger Rune, who has been much closer to playing his best tennis in the California desert.
The 23-year-old defeated the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev to compete for his first title of the season.
Draper and Rune have played one another on one previous occasion, which came back at the Cincinnati Masters in 2024.
The Dane claimed a comprehensive 6-4 6-2 at the quarter-finals, but given the current form of both players, their Indian Wells final promises to be an exciting encounter.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
