Jack Draper gets emotional about the sacrifices made by his mother after a ‘special’ win in the Madrid Open semifinal
Jack Draper has broken into the top 5 ranking for the first time in his career after a sensational run at the Madrid Open.
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Jack Draper, Nicky Draper (images via Sky Sports and Getty)
Jack Draper has had a sensational run at the 2025 Madrid Open, reaching his first clay court final of his career. The Brit will lock horns with Casper Ruud in the finals. The Norwegian will be aiming for his 12th clay court title. Akin to Ruud, Draper has not dropped a set as of yet in the tournament.
Draper’s most dominant performance was seen in the quarterfinals, where he bagelled Matteo Arnaldi in the first set. This was Draper’s first bagel in clay. He then defeated Monte Carlo finalist Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals. Draper had great control in the first set.
Amazing! The last few matches, I think she’s come towards me, player. I mean, the last one was in Monte Carlo, and I had a shocker. So I didn’t want to match her for a while — to play in front of her on this stage. You know, she’s made so many sacrifices and been such an amazing support — a mom to me over the years. So, for her to be here, it is very special.
Jack Draper said via Sky Sports
Musetti was much improved in the second set, and it made for a more competitive spectacle as he constantly pressured Draper to hold serve and keep up, taking it to a tiebreak. Draper sealed the victory 6-3, 7(7)- 6(4). This time, the victory was made even sweeter by the presence of his mother, Nicky, in his player box, who flew in from London.
Jack Draper has now become the youngest British player in the Open Era to reach an ATP final on all surfaces. The 23-year-old will be aiming for the fourth title of his career and his second title of the year.
Jack Draper becomes the fourth British person to crack into the top 5 ranking
Earlier in the season, he won his maiden Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, where he cruised past Holger Rune in straight sets in the finals. He had an incredible run in the tournament, where he beat two top 5 players— world No. 4 Taylor Fritz in the fourth round and world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.
With this triumph, Draper also cracked into the top 10 for the first time, reaching the World No. 7 ranking. Although he struggled with his form, facing an opening round exit in his next two tournaments after the Indian Wells, the Brit has now shown his prowess on clay too.
Draper has now reached the top 5 in the ATP ranking, becoming just the fourth British player to do so. Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski, and Andy Murray are the only other players from his nation to break into this elite list on the rankings list. In the process, Draper has also overtaken Novak Djokovic in the rankings.
Jack Draper will face Casper Ruud for the first time in the Madrid Open finals
Jack Draper will face a more experienced Casper Ruud in the Madrid Open finals. Ruud is a three-time Grand Slam finalist and a specialist on clay. Interestingly, the 2025 Madrid Open final will be the first meeting between Ruud and Draper.
Coming into the tournament as world No. 15, Ruud eliminated third seed Taylor Fritz in the round of 16, before recording a first career win over former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the final eight. Ruud overcame an injury scare in his semifinal clash with Francisco Cerundolo, taking a medical time-out following the third game before defeating the Argentine 6-4, 7-5.
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