(Video) Holger Rune fights back tears after Jack Draper sinks him in Indian Wells final

Holger Rune failed to clinch his second ATP Masters 1000 title of his career after succumbing to a straight-set defeat to Jack Draper.

(Video) Holger Rune fights back tears after Jack Draper sinks him in Indian Wells final

Holger Rune got emotional after losing Indian Wells final to Jack Draper (Image via ATP/Screengrab X)

Jack Draper got the better of Holger Rune in the final of Indian Wells. On Sunday (March 16), Draper took an hour and nine minutes to script history with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over the Dane.

Rune, who won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the 2022 Paris Masters, was bidding to win his first ATP title since his 2023 BMW Open win and his fifth tour-level title. The Indian Wells was the first tournament this season where he reached the final following a mediocre start to the season and a horrible show in the Golden Swing.

YouTube video

Amid his poor run of form, Rune had a mixed campaign in the California desert. He fought hard against his previous opponent, but when it mattered the most, he couldn’t produce his best.

FS Video

After failing to claim the title, a dejected Rune was unable to control his tears while thanking his family. He had to stop his interview as he was struggling to find words while he was wiping away his tears.

I have to say thanks to my family back home… sorry. They mean everything to me and… yeah, thank you guys. See you next year.

Holger Rune said

Watch the video here:

Rune, who reached a career-high ranking of World No.4 in 2023, was denied a chance to climb back to the top 10 in the rankings. The 21-year-old is now a World No.12 player.

Jack Draper claims the No.7 spot in the ATP rankings after beating Holger Rune

Jack Draper was assured of a spot in the top 10 after he denied Carlos Alcaraz a chance to complete a three-peat at Indian Wells with a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 win in the semifinals. Had he lost the final, he would have been a World No.8. But now, he rose even one place higher to sit on the No.7 position and became a top 10 player for the first time in his career.

Jack Draper (3)
Jack Draper (Image via ATP/X)

I feel like I deserve it, in all honestly. The amount of adversity I’ve been through, the amount of sacrifices, the amount of time that all the people around me have put into me, and the hard work. It’s an emotional feeling to know how much you’ve gone through and put in and to be here now to say that I’m going be No. 7 in the world tomorrow, I can’t tell you how much that means to me.

Jack Draper said during his on-court interview

Draper avenged his 2024 Indian Wells quarterfinal defeat to tie the head-to-head record over Holger Rune to 1-1. He became the fifth British man to win an ATP Masters 1000 title following Andy Murray, Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski, and Cameron Norrie.

Draper is also the second British man after Norrie (who beat Nikoloz Basilashvili in 2021) to win in the first ATP Masters 1000 of the season. Before his victory over Rune, the 23-year-old knocked out two top 5 players: World No.3 Alcaraz and World No.4 Taylor Fritz in the fourth round.

Jack Draper claims the third title of his career

Draper lifted his first ATP title last year. In June, Draper beat Matteo Berrettini to become the Stuttgart Open champion. Then in October, he beat Karen Khachanov to take home the Vienna Open. The Indian Wells Masters was his third and the biggest title of his career.

Jack Draper (2)
Jack Draper (Image via ATP/X)

It was for the first time in ATP events of the above 500 category that two players born in the 2000s played a final. The match was also the first Indian Wells final, where two players between the ages of 23 and younger played since Rafael Nadal (22) defeated Andy Murray (21) in 2009.