Marion Bartoli reveals what she heard Jack Draper’s coach telling him during his win against Luciano Darderi in Rome

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Jack Draper was looking to bounce back from a tough defeat last time out with a strong performance in his Rome opener.

The world number five enjoyed a major breakthrough on clay in Spain, when Draper reached the final of the Madrid Open, securing wins over Matteo Berrettini, Tommy Paul, and Lorenzo Musetti.

In the final, he came up just short, as Draper lost to Casper Ruud in three sets, 5-7, 6-3, 4-6.

Returning to action in Rome, Draper beat home-favorite Luciano Darderi in his opening match, 6-1, 6-4, to book his place in the third round.

After the match, one WTA Tour legend revealed what she heard Draper’s coach, James Trotman, say during his second-round clash with the Italian.

Marion Bartoli heard James Trotman tell Jack Draper to play his ‘own game’ during Rome win

Speaking to Sky Sports in the aftermath of Draper’s second-round win, Marion Bartoli revealed what she heard Trotman say to him during the match.

“It’s very clear for him that he knows he is going to win the match on his own terms,” said Bartoli.

“I was actually trying to listen to what the coach was saying to him, and he was saying keep playing great, and keep playing your own game.

“You want to win or lose on your own terms when you are an aggressive player.

“That’s exactly what he has done, especially towards the back end of the second set when things were more difficult and tricky for him.

“He kept hugging that baseline, going into the court and playing brave tennis. That rewarded him in the end.

“You are not earning a top five spot without having weapons and he has major weapons. You just have to keep believing in them.”

Draper broke into the world’s top five following his run to the final in Madrid, and will no doubt be eyeing Taylor Fritz’s number four ranking in Rome.

Draper dropped just one game in the first set, but struggled to maintain that level in the second, as Bartoli explains how the momentum shifted throughout the match.

“Honestly, it was a totally different match from the first set to the second set because a lot was said about the conditions, it got a lot cooler,” she said.

“It makes the match completely different. All of a sudden, Jack [Draper] couldn’t really hit that many winners.

“[Luciano] Darderi could get a lot more balls back, started to make Jack move a lot more.

“He was sweating a lot more, he had to change his t-shirt, it was getting physical.

“It was very entertaining, but Jack was so good in the crucial moments, especially with that lefty serve to just negate the break point he had to defend, and that last game was just super class.”

The 2013 Wimbledon champion was particularly impressed with the Brit’s physicality, as she highlighted the improvements Draper and his team have made recently.

“I think physically he has improved so much,” said Bartoli.

“He got himself so much stronger, you can tell from the whole crew that travels with him that he gets that physical training in, even though there is a tournament, he probably still hits the gym as well.

“He gets himself in the position a lot faster than he used to, and especially on clay, that is absolutely mandatory.”

Draper will now look to recover ahead of his third-round match against Czech star Vit Kopriva.

Jack Draper and Carlos Alcaraz on course for quarterfinal showdown in Rome

World number three Carlos Alcaraz won his opening match in Rome, taking down Dusan Lajovic, 6-3, 6-3.

The Spaniard could be just a few matches away from a sixth career meeting with the British star, should both players advance to the quarterfinals.

Jack Draper’s route to the quarterfinals

• 3R – Vit Kopriva
• 4R – Corentin Moutet/Holger Rune

Carlos Alcaraz’s route to the quarterfinals

• 3R – Laslo Djere
• 4R – Francesco Passaro/Karen Khachanov

Alcaraz holds a tight lead in the head-to-head with Draper, 3-2, although the pair are level at 1-1 in 2025.

Having lost in Melbourne earlier this year, the 23-year-old got his revenge in California, when Draper beat Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semi-finals.

It remains to be seen if the top five stars face off again in Rome, but it would certainly be interesting to see who would come out on top in their first clay court encounter.

Neither player will want to get too far ahead of themselves, however, as they’ll first play their third round matches, with Draper taking on Kopriva, and Alcaraz taking on Laslo Djere on Sunday, May 11.