“We Raise Our Level to the Top,” Carlos Alcaraz Thrilled About His Rivalry with Jack Draper

Carlos Alcaraz leads Jack Draper in their head-to-head record, 4-2, and they have met thrice in the past six months.

“We Raise Our Level to the Top,” Carlos Alcaraz Thrilled About His Rivalry with Jack Draper

Jack Draper and Carlos Alcaraz at Queen's 2024 (image via HSBC CHampionships)

Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper’s rivalry on tour has begun to take shape this season after the pair meeting three times in the past six months. The former has claimed victory twice, while losing just once this year. With the rivalry growing stronger, Alcaraz has admitted that he’s excited about it.

Alcaraz and Draper have both enjoyed a stellar season in 2025, heading to the Wimbledon Championship. The British star marked a career milestone in March by claiming his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, while Alcaraz dominated the clay-court season, claiming three of the tournament titles he competed in.

Additionally, during the clay season, Draper showed his fast-paced adaptability on the surface, reaching the Madrid Open final and the Italian Open quarter-finals. He also reached the fourth round of the Roland Garros, while Alcaraz defended the clay-court Grand Slam crown after beating Jannik Sinner in five sets.

The pair have met six times on the ATP Tour, with Alcaraz leading in their head-to-head record, 4-2. However, Draper will not forget his straight sets victory over the Spaniard in Indian Wells that helped him go on to win the Masters title. Now, with the grass-court season now underway, both players are preparing for the Wimbledon Championship at the Queen’s Club Championships.

They are likely to face each other in the final of the ATP 500 tournament in London. But, the tournament is still in its second-round phase and a long way to go before the final. Nonetheless, Alcaraz revealed during his press conference that their rivalry has made them push each other to the limit any time they meet on the court:

Jack [Draper] has really high potential. I love him, I love watching him play… I’m really happy to have that rivalry with him. I think every match we’ve played against each other, we raise our level to the top and we push ourselves to the limit all the time. I think that’s beautiful for us, for the people, the fans. I’m really happy to have him around; he makes me an even better player.

Alcaraz opened his Queen’s Club Championships account with a straight set win over Australia’s Adam Walton and then beat fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in a grueling three-setter. He is now set to face Arthur Rinderknech in the quarterfinal.

Jack Draper battles hard to reach the quarter-finals of the Queen’s Club Championships for the third time

Jack Draper had to dig deep to earn his place in the quarter-finals of the Queen’s Club Championships. The British lefty recovered from squandering two match points at 4-5 in the third set to winning the thrilling tie break, with the match ending in his favor 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(5) against World No.21 Alexei Popyrin.

Jack Draper (via X/The Tennis Letter)
Jack Draper (via X/The Tennis Letter)

The British No.1 is seeking his first title at the Queen’s Club Championships after reaching the quarter-finals in 2021 and 2024. He revealed about feeling better through every Grand Slam he has played:

I have felt better and better every Grand Slam I have played. Before I felt like my energy wasn’t that strong, and I felt like I looked like a bit of a Ferrari but I was a bit of a Toyota, like broke down quite easily. Now I’m starting to feel generally stronger and confident in myself.

Draper will now take on American Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-finals of the Championships. Nakashima defeated British wild card Dan Evans 7-5, 7-6(4) to reach the last eight. Draper and Nakashima’s head-to-head record currently stands at 1-1, with the former having won the last meeting at the Stuttgart Open last year.

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