Carlos Alcaraz “Never Doubted” That “Dangerous” Jack Draper Would Reach the Top of the Sport

Jack Draper earned his first French Open main draw victory after beating Mattia Bellucci 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round.

Carlos Alcaraz “Never Doubted” That “Dangerous” Jack Draper Would Reach the Top of the Sport

Jack Draper and Carlos Alcaraz (via X/Carlos Alcaraz Daily)

Jack Draper has been one of the most consistent players in the men’s circuit this season and has propelled up the rankings in recent months. He began the year at World No.15 but has now risen to No.5 and is expected to be the new No.4 after the French Open. Carlos Alcaraz revealed that the British star deserves to be at the top.

Draper reached his first final of the season at the Qatar Open but was unable to claim the title after losing to Andrey Rublev. However, at Indian Wells, he played his best tennis to win the title, beating Alcaraz en route to the final. Ahead of the clay season, the British No.1, despite having no solid experience of the red dirt, has been outstanding since Madrid.

In fact, he reached his maiden clay ATP Masters 1000 final at the tournament without dropping a set. He followed it up with a run to the quarter-finals of the Italian Open before losing to Alcaraz. On Tuesday (May 27), he claimed his first main draw French Open victory after beating Mattia Bellucci 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round.

The performance was a stark contrast to his two previous first-round displays at the French Open. The left-hander retired during his main-draw debut in 2023 and then struggled with his serve in a miserable defeat against No. 176th-ranked Jesper De Jong last year.

The British star’s performance has caught the attention of the reigning French Open champion, Alcaraz. The Spaniard was asked about Draper’s steady growth on clay this season during his interview with TNT Sports. Alcaraz revealed that he never had a doubt about Draper’s rise to the top and that he deserved to be there.

He’s a really nice person off the court. Everybody has seen what he’s capable of doing on the court. He’s a great player. After this tournament, he will reach his best-ever career ranking – world No. 4 – I’m just really happy for him. I’ve never had any doubt about him. I respect that he’s going to be where he deserves to be and he deserves to be at the top. He’s a really dangerous player. I’ve faced him a few times already but it’s great to see him at the top.

Draper has been scheduled to play Thursday’s (May 29) night-session match against home favorite Gael Monfils. It is expected to be a very tight contest and one of the rowdiest and most partisan tie of the week. The pair have only met once in their careers, back at the 2022 Canadian Open, where Monfils was forced to retire due to injury after losing the first set.

Carlos Alcaraz very happy to reach the third round of the French Open

Carlos Alcaraz fought his way past Fabian Marozsan in the second round of the French Open. The Spaniard produced a fine performance in the first set but a drop in the second saw the Hungarian win the set. The 22-year-old rallied back into the match to claim a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory.

Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

He recorded his 20th win at the Roland Garros. He’s seeking to become the first player since Rafael Nadal to claim consecutive French Open titles. He revealed during the aforementioned interview that he was really happy about the win.

I’m really happy. I thought I played a high level of tennis. I started the match pretty well. I was really focused before every match. In the second set he started to play better and better. The first game he broke my serve and I think that pushed him to play better. But I’m really happy to have refreshed my mind, forgetting everything that happened in the second set. I started the first set really well. I tried to take my chances and after that tried to keep it going and after that I played some great tennis.

Alcaraz will face Damir Dzumhur in the third round of the French Open. The Bosnian star stunned home favorite Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to reach this stage of the tournament.

Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz Brushes Aside Talk of Playing Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros Final Despite Winning Streak