“He can win Grand Slams” British legend makes bold predictions about Jack Draper’s career after Indian Wells victory
Jack Draper defeated Holger Rune 6-2,6-2 to win the Indian Wells title, his third career title in less than a year.
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Jack Draper (Image via X)
A year ago, Jack Draper was just growing in confidence on the court after physical issues had hampered his progress. On Sunday (March 16), he won the biggest title of his career after beating Holger Rune in straight sets. Former British No.1 Tim Henman has now backed the 23-year-old to win a Grand Slam shortly.
Draper has been in scintillating form this season, a continuation of his performance last year. The British player has lost only two matches this season, and in Indian Wells, he proved he’s a top player. He defeated 4 top 20 players en route to the Indian Wells title, including a win over Carlos Alcaraz.
In the final against Rune, the British No.1 came with his guns blazing with enough bullets. He hit the ball so powerfully that Rune had no answer to his powerful game, leaving him to storm to the biggest title of his career. Lifting his first ATP 1000 Masters title means that Draper will reach a career-high ranking of World No.7.
After the match, Tim Henman was full of praise for the British star. The ATP legend revealed that Draper gave a brilliant performance on the court. He added that the Indian Wells was the first of many big titles, and he hopes he will win the Grand Slam with an excellent performance.
It’s been building, not just in this tournament but over the last weeks, months, and years. It’s been great to see Jack come out and deliver time and again in the tournament where he didn’t have the easiest draw. He absolutely took Rune apart 6-2, 6-2 to win his first Masters title, this is a day he will remember forever. This is the first of many Masters 1000 titles, and he can be in the finals of Grand Slams, and he can win Grand Slams
Tim Henman said via Sky Sports
Draper will head into the Miami Open as one of the big favorites to win the title after his outstanding performance in Indian Wells. He now has three career titles in his trophy cabinet and has won all in the last ten months.
Jack Draper only dropped one set en route to the Indian Wells title
Jack Draper finished the Indian Wells as the only player to drop only one set (on both the men’s and the women’s circuits). The British star wasted no time in defeating the famous 18-year-old Joao Fonseca in the second round. He then beat Jenson Brooksby, taking him down 7-5, 6-4 in the third round.
American star Taylor Fritz was his next opponent, whom Draper dispatched 7-5, 6-4. He then ended another American hopes for the title in the quarter-finals, ousting Ben Shelton. He dropped his first set against Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals but made sure he held the line to win 6-1, 0-6, 6-4.
Jack Draper says being injury-free has brought out his best tennis
Jack Draper’s Indian Wells victory story is proof of how little beginnings matter. Two years ago, the British star was suffering a series of physical issues that made him not to be consistent on the court. However, last year, he found a way to stay fit and kept working hard to find solutions for his injuries.
Finally, the dividends have paid, and he has now begun to enjoy playing regularly on the court. And that has helped him find his form and made him progress in his game. During his press conference, he revealed he had no issues with his tennis but just his body.
I felt calm from the start today. I almost felt better on it than I did off it. My issue was never my tennis. It was my body. I wasn’t ready to be a top player week-in, week-out. I was still learning and last year was my first proper year on the tour. Reaching the semi-finals of the US Open made me feel I deserved to be here
Jack Draper said via Indian Wells Press
Last year, just a month after reaching the US Open semifinals in New York, Draper lifted his second title in the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna. Two of his titles were on hard court, while the Stuttgart Open title was on grass.
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