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Jack Draper took a significant step forward on his journey to becoming a top clay-court player as he recorded the biggest win of his career on the surface, producing a supreme performance to dismantle the 11th seed, Tommy Paul, 6-2, 6-2 and reach the last eight of the Madrid Open.
This victory marks the first time Draper has reached a Masters 1000 quarter-final on clay and it is his first win over a top-30 opponent on the surface. Draper had not previously won three consecutive clay-court matches at ATP level. He will next face Matteo Arnaldi, conqueror of Novak Djokovic in round two, for a place in the semi-finals. Arnaldi defeated the 16th seed, Frances Tiafoe, 6-3, 7-5.
“The more matches I play at this level will keep helping my confidence on this surface,” said Draper. “Obviously a win today, in that kind of way, against someone who is ranked 12 in the world is a big thing for me. I’m just happy with the way I’m approaching the matches and my training and everything, and yeah, I’m looking forward to keep on continuing, hopefully trying to get better and better on this surface and just in general.”
Although Draper is the highest-ranked player left in the draw, he is still finding his feet on clay and learning how to fully unlock his game on the surface. He arrived in Madrid with a 10-12 record on clay after a difficult experience last year, where he frequently competed well against top opposition yet finished 2-6 against the top 100.
“Professionally with the ATP I haven’t played loads on it, but when I was younger, whether it was in the UK or abroad, playing European events, I always did well on the clay,” he said. “I always thought I was a player who could play well on all surfaces.”
“I guess it’s a bit different at this level. Last year I took a few tough losses against top players when I was unseeded. Then this year, it’s just been about trying to stay fit, but also trying to show that I feel good on this surface. In training I felt great, and I just want to keep going, and I think this surface could be amazing for my tennis.”
This week in Madrid had already seen positive progress. Draper set the tone with an excellent performance against a quality opponent, completely overwhelming Tallon Griekspoor with his relentless aggression. He also looked solid in his third round match against an ailing Matteo Berrettini, who retired with an abdominal injury after losing the first set 7-6 (2).
As Draper and Paul stepped out on to Manolo Santana Stadium in cool, windy conditions, it was Paul who started cold, struggling badly to control his forehand, which sprayed four unforced errors as he conceded an early break. Although Draper was hardly at his best early on – his first serve percentage stood at 33% as he served for the first set at 5-2 – his movement and defence were excellent, narrowing the court against Paul, and as he suffocated the American with the weight and depth of his wicked topspin forehand, which spun up to the height of Paul’s shoulder and constantly pinned him behind the baseline.
With the first set secured, Draper relaxed, found greater rhythm on his serve and dominated the baseline with his nuclear forehand as he closed out an excellent victory.
In the women’s draw the fourth seed, Coco Gauff, set up a rematch of the 2022 French Open final against Iga Swiatek after defeating Mirra Andreeva, the seventh seed, 7-5, 6-1. Swiatek, the No 2 seed and defending champion, avenged her Australian Open semi-final defeat against the eventual champion, Madison Keys, recovering to win 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Novak Djokovic has reacted to his run of poor form by pulling out of the Italian Open in Rome next week. The 24-times grand slam champion is on a three-match losing streak, having crashed out of the Madrid Open against Arnaldi.
Tournament organisers announced on social media that Djokovic would not be playing in the Italian capital, with the Serb writing on Instagram: “Rome, I will miss you. I hope we meet next year.”
After defeat by Arnaldi, the 37-year-old Djokovic said he had to adapt to a “new reality”, adding: “Trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament – it’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis.”
The Italian Open, which begins on 7 May, is the last big ATP Tour event before the French Open, and is a tournament Djokovic has won six times. But he faces arriving at Roland Garros without having won a match on clay since his emotional victory over Carlos Alcaraz last summer in the Olympic final.
Djokovic has played a fuller schedule than last season, when his bid for a record-breaking 25th slam title fell short, but it has not helped him find any consistent form, with the world No 5 losing his opening match in four of his past five tournaments.
“Grand slams is where I really want to play the best tennis,” he said. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that in Roland Garros but I’ll do my best. I’m not going into Roland Garros as one of the main favourites. Maybe that can help, I don’t know, we’ll see.”
