Jack Draper produced several impressive performances on his way to a maiden Masters 1000 title in California.
British number one Draper beat Holger Rune, 6-2, 6-2, to clinch the biggest title of his young career at Indian Wells.
The 23-year-old rose to a career-high of number seven in the ATP rankings as a result and now sets his sights on those above him.
Those players include Taylor Fritz and Carlos Alcaraz, whom he beat on his way to the title last week, securing his first two top-ten wins of the year.
The stars he jumped in the rankings with his win at Indian Wells will no doubt be eager to take on the Brit later this year, as one top American coach now shares his thoughts on Draper.
Tommy Paul’s coach Brad Stine thinks Jack Draper’s fitness was holding him back before Indian Wells win
Speaking ahead of the Miami Open, Tommy Paul’s coach Brad Stine gave his honest opinion on Draper and explained what had held him back in recent years.
“I have been on the [Jack] Draper train as far as respect for him and the level he is capable of playing for quite a while,” he said.
“I think the biggest thing in the first few years he was on tour was staying healthy.
“He had some cramping issues, he had injury issues, he just wasn’t able to really build a rhythm.
“He would have some good results and then something would happen and he wouldn’t be able to play for a month or two so it kept him back in the wings a little bit, where people knew he was a good player but he wasn’t necessarily in the forefront of their mind.”
Stine then looked at the developing rivalry between Paul and Draper, who played one another four times last year.
“We have known Jack has been a really dangerous player for a while because he has been a little bit of a thorn in Tommy’s side,” he said.
“We got him a couple of times at the Australian Open and at Queen’s last year, Tommy ended up winning Queen’s, that was a huge match to get past Jack on the grass but we know how dangerous he is.”
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2024 Queens Club – QF | Tommy Paul | Jack Draper | 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 |
| 2024 Acapulco – R32 | Jack Draper | Tommy Paul | 6-0, 6-4 |
| 2024 Australian Open – R64 | Tommy Paul | Jack Draper | 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 |
| 2024 Adelaide International – QF | Jack Draper | Tommy Paul | 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2023 Adelaide 2 – R16 | Jack Draper | Tommy Paul | 6-4, 6-4 |
Paul beat Draper on the way to his first ATP 500 title at Queens last year, in a three-set thriller on the grass.
Brad Stine congratulates Jack Draper’s coach James Trotman for doing a ‘very good job’
Since 2021, Draper has been coached by former British star James Trotman, who won two Major doubles titles as a junior.
Stine was keen to heap praise onto Trotman, following the biggest win of his coaching career.
“His coach James Trotman, super nice guy,” he said.
“From a personality standpoint and presentation I really like James.
“He is very calm, very relaxed, under control kind of guy both in the stands and off the court as well.”
Paul’s coach went into further detail, recalling the times the pair trained alongside Trotman and Draper.
“We have practiced a few times with them and I think it’s always interesting out here on the tour because as coaches you don’t really know exactly what coaches do on the court with their players, because you are not there.
“We don’t see what coaches actually do on a day to day basis.
“We don’t know what their presentation is before any given match or after any given match, a win or a loss, so we basically go on results and when you see guys having the kind of results that Jack is having, the assumption is that the coach is doing a very good job.
Draper and Paul have been placed on opposite sides of the Miami Open draw, making a sixth career meeting unlikely in Florida.
The Brit will begin his campaign against either Roberto Bautista Agut or Jakub Mensik, while Paul takes on Alexander Bublik.
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